Moises Henriques and Rory Burns both have surgery
Tuesday 16 June 2015 10:30, UK
Surrey duo Moises Henriques and Rory Burns have both undergone surgery after a nasty fielding collision which resulted in both players going to hospital.
The incident on the outfield happened during Surrey’s NatWest t20 Blast match against Sussex at Arundel. The players were taken off the pitch by paramedics after both lost consciousness.
Henriques collided with his team-mate at high speed before both fell face down, with medical staff from each club quickly out onto the pitch. They were soon joined by an off-duty doctor who had been watching the match, which was eventually abandoned.
A statement from Surrey read: "Latest news on the two boys..Both Rory and Moises are in decent shape following their operations overnight..further updates later in the day."
A later statement said Burns would leave hospital on Monday but Henriques was being kept in for a second night.
Surrey earlier confirmed today's LV= County Championship game against Glamorgan at Guildford "will go ahead as normal", the fixture having been in some doubt given the circumstances.
The positive prognosis on the players was welcome news after spectators in a crowd of 8,500 had earlier watched in horror as the freak accident unfolded.
Both needed oxygen treatment and three ambulances were called onto the pitch before they left the ground. The players were able to offer a thumbs-up to sympathetic spectators before being taken to St Richards' Hospital in Chichester for further treatment and assessment by doctors.
Sussex physiotherapist John Marrale, who was one of the first people on the scene, confirmed the men were unconscious after the collision.
He said: "They were given oxygen and pain relief was administered by an intravenous drip before they went to hospital. Fortunately they were sitting up when they left the ground, but it was a sickening incident."
Umpire Alex Wharf and his colleague Jeremy Lloyds decided to abandon the match after consulting players from both teams, who included Surrey's Kevin Pietersen who was playing his last game for the county.
Wharf said: "It was a horrific situation for everyone involved - the players and the spectators who were close to the incident.
"Incidents like that are very rare but the first priority is always the welfare of the players. We consulted with the ECB and the captains and there was never any chance of the game continuing."
Sussex chief executive Zac Toumazi praised the swift response of the emergency services, while also backing the decision to call off the match.
