BBL 2019-20: Riley Meredith's nasty bouncer hits Marcus Stoinis on the helmet

The ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) season has witnessed some amazing moments which may be remembered in the coming times. From bush fires leading to abandoning of a match, to an amazing Super Over tie, the audience has witnessed everything one needs. The contest between the bat and ball has also been top-notch. This year, cricket went through a significant change with respect to injuries to head, as ICC introduced the concussion substitute.

It is a like-to-like replacement player for someone who has been hit on the head by a bowler and is unable to continue batting, as deemed by the team physio. Steve Smith was the first batsman subbed after he was hit on his head during the Ashes 2019 Tests at Lord’s. But most of the times, the batsmen continue with their game. Something similar was seen during a BBL clash between the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars.

Stoinis gets himself into a tangle

Hurricanes had batted first and with help of 26-run knock from Caleb Jewell, they posted 69 runs on the board in the allotted 11 overs. Skipper Ben McDermott hit 17, while Milenko made 12 runs, as Dale Steyn and Coulter-Nile picked two wickets each in their quota of two overs. The Stars were asked to chase down 80 runs from 11 overs in the revised match situation.

The Stars got off to a poor start with James Faulkner removing Nic Maddinson and Nick Larkin in the very first over. Stoinis had to revive the innings even as the opposition had its tail up. In a bid to unsettle him, Riley Meredith bowled a bouncer in the fourth over when Marcus Stoinis was least expecting. The batsman was surprised and took an evasive action to avoid getting hit.

However, the ball ended up hitting Stoinis’ helmet from the front which stunned the batsman who fell on the ground. But he raised his hand to say that he was alright, as Hurricanes’ players gathered around him to check on him. Even his batting partner Handscomb came down to check, with Stoinis removing his helmet to see if any damage was done to the equipment or not.

Marcus Stonis continued his innings after having the mandatory checks done by the physio and consulting with the umpires. Eventually, he played a decent hand with the bat which led to the Stars winning the game via DLS method.

Here is the video:

Marcus Stoinis hit HARD by this Riley Meredith delivery 😯 He says he's okay, and will bat on #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/GI3putARCC

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 30, 2019