NEW DELHI // Australia’s George Bailey was struck by a bouncer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that sent his helmet flying, an experience he said was like “getting hit in the face by a truck”.
Bailey, playing for Rising Pune Supergiants on Tuesday night, was not injured by the bouncer that he top-edged onto his helmet, shattering parts and knocking it off his head.
“Those watching on TV got a better picture than I did, because all I sort of remember was it was like getting hit in the face by a truck,” Bailey said of the delivery from countryman Nathan Coulter-Nile. “It was pretty quick. I was quite glad to have one of the new helmets on.”
Helmets have been strengthened to meet stringent safety standards in the wake of the Phillip Hughes tragedy in 2014.
The Australian batsman, who played 26 Tests, died from bleeding on the brain after being hit on the base of the skull by a rising ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a domestic match.
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Bailey stayed on to see Pune outplay the Delhi Daredevils by 19 runs in the rain-hit game in the eastern city of Visakhapatnam.
“A couple [of players] were disappointed that the helmet did not roll on to the stumps but most people were checking” how he was, said Bailey who remained unbeaten on eight runs.
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