Twitter concerned for Dimuth Karunaratne after he got smacked at the back of his neck

After a pretty lacklustre Day 1, Sri Lanka had another poor outing on the second day of the second Test against Australia at the Manuka Oval in Canberra as they are trailing by a mammoth 411 runs with three days remaining. All are definitely not well in the Lankan camp and their day went from bad to worse when Dimuth Karunaratne, their opening batsman, got smacked on the neck.

After the hosts amassed a humungous 534 for five in 132 overs, the Lankans started well. The left-handed Karunaratne looked determined to stave off the venom, spewed by the Aussie fast bowlers. However, the 31st over turned out to be equivalent to a nightmare for Dimuth. At that point in time, Karunaratne was batting on 46 runs from 84 balls with five boundaries.

Karunaratne taken to the hospital

Right-arm fast bowler Pat Cummins bowled the over and he hurled a vicious bouncer at the batsman at a speed of 142.5 kph. The bumper was well-directed and the batter was caught napping. He didn’t have much idea about that and subsequently took an evasive action. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t bounce much and smacked him just above the neck when he was turning back.

Everyone went silent on the ground, comprehending what had happened as Karunaratne laid on the turf. The physiotherapist was immediately called to the park and he treated the injured Dimuth, who couldn’t move an inch one bit. The 30-year-old was thereafter carried off in a stretcher. He is now in the hospital and for scans and there isn’t any further update on him as of now.

The incident would’ve reminded the Aussies of their very own Phil Hughes, who lost his life four years ago after being hit by Sean Abbott. Meanwhile, Twitter is extremely concerned for the opening batsman and the users are playing for his well-being at the earliest.

Here is how Twitter reacted

I hope Karunaratne's injury is not serious. Cricket can'tafford another Phil Hughes tragedy.#AUSvSRI

— Richardson Mzaidume (@hlubizer) February 2, 2019

Get well soon Dimuth Karunaratne. #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/QjjzFE9c0t

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) February 2, 2019

Unfortunate for Karunaratne & SL, very badly injured 🤕… taken to hospital. For a moment reminded of Hughes incident #AusvSL

— Danish Khan (@danishkhan_30) February 2, 2019

What d hell is this…none of us want that sight of Phil Hughes again….get well soon Karunaratne..hopes and prayers.

— ANIKET TIWARI (@CoTiwaris) February 2, 2019

Karunaratne hit on the back of the neck by a bouncer. Somehow the ball missed the helmet and the extra protection that has become the norm after Hughes.

Scary situation. Had to be carried off on a stretcher. Hope he is fine. #AUSvSL

— Papya. (@Dhaanu) February 2, 2019

Dimuth Karunaratne was hit by a bouncing delivery on his helmet and was taken off the field at Manuka Oval on a stretcher.
Get well soon @IamDimuth 💪 pic.twitter.com/17Z5wffPWg

— ATMO Group Of Companies (@atmogrouplk) February 2, 2019

Get Well Soon Dimuth Karunaratne #AUSvSL #2ndTest #Cricket #DimuthKarunaratne pic.twitter.com/Fcy60dbBBl

— 🇮🇳 Bharat 🇮🇳 (@SalMansCommando) February 2, 2019

"Dimuth Karunaratne taken to hospital after suffering a blow to the head" https://t.co/fC2g4tFPXZ

— Ashutosh Mishra🇮🇳 (@ashutosh147) February 2, 2019

Watching the ball that got Dimuth Karunaratne he’s extremely lucky the newer helmets have those flaps now to protect the neck. They became popular after Phil Hughes and today could have been a repeat incident.
Hopefully he’s okay & just badly rattled. #AUSvSL

— Shiellsy (@chadnotweet) February 2, 2019

Goosebumps.
Dimuth Karunaratne is getting medical attention on the pitch after he was struck on the back of the neck by a bouncer

I remember watching live when Phil Hughes was struck….
This is tooooo heavy right now. #AUSvSRI

— Cindy Poluta (@CindyPoluta) February 2, 2019

The good news is Dimuth Karunaratne is out of danger. He is talking and moving. Whether he will be able bat we still don't know. I am hoping he will.

— Roshan Abeysinghe (@RoshanCricket) February 2, 2019

Dimuth Karunaratne has been taken to hospital after he was hit in the neck. He was taken off on a stretcher but didn’t lose consciousness. The team manager went with him in the ambulance. His father, who was understandably distressed & his sister have gone in a separate car.

— Neroli Meadows (@Neroli_M_FOX) February 2, 2019

Hope everything is alright with Karunaratne . Wish him a speedy recovery. Get back on field soon.#AUSvSL

— Sarthak Maiti (@SarthakMaiti) February 2, 2019

One of the very few players in the current SL team who is of international quality – Dimuth Karunaratne. World class opener. Get well soon! #AUSvSL

— Srini Mama (@SriniMaama16) February 2, 2019

Its really very bad day for d.karunarathne .cummins delivers a bouncer to him and that hits just down the neck and he goes down for a treatment . we'll pray for a fast recovery 👍🏻👍🏻@dimuthkarunaratne#karunaratne #SriLanka #ICC #AUSvsSL pic.twitter.com/SlZC47KUj6

— 🇮🇳Telugu Mohan🇮🇳 (@mohan_telugu) February 2, 2019

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