SYDNEY: Test great Matthew Hayden said Monday he had “dodged a bullet” after suffering head and neck injuries, including a spine fracture, while surfing during a holiday in Queensland.
Hayden, a top-order batsman who was last year inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, fractured his spine near the base of his neck, tore several ligaments and hurt his forehead after being dumped into a sandbank while surfing with his son Josh off North Stradbroke Island on Friday.
“Fractured C6, torn C5, C4 ligaments safe to say I truly have dodged a bullet,” Hayden wrote in an Instagram post beside a photo of his battered face.
“Thank you everyone. On the road to recovery.”
The 46-year-old, who retired from international cricket in 2009 after a 103-Test career, told Brisbane’s Courier Mail he was “bloody lucky” to escape serious injury.
“It was an hour into the session and we had had half dozen waves together and I got this one right handed wave which I sort of ducked under and that is pretty much all I can remember,” he told the newspaper Monday.
“I wasn’t knocked out. I was speared into the top of the sandbank onto the top of my head.
“Then it twisted my head with my own weight and the weight of the wave. “I heard this god almighty click in my neck. I did not get knocked out but I sort of came to and rolled up on my back.”
Rajasthan Royals' Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates after scoring a century during the Indian Premier League Twenty20...
Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona FC poses for a photo with the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award during the 2024...
Abbottabad and Rawalpindi to host 24 matches of the 50-overs-a-side President’s Cup. —...
The screenshot of Pakistan’s seasoned allrounder Shadab Khan addressing a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium...
Nelly Korda, kissing the trophy after winning the Chevron Championship for her second major title and fifth win in a...
Jude Bellingham. — AFP FileMADRID: Jude Bellingham is targeting LaLiga and Champions League titles with Real Madrid...