Cricket players take immense pride and honour playing for their respective country. Years of hard work and perseverance leads them to finally realise their childhood dreams. The essence of not only cricket but sport, in general, is uncertainty. An athlete cannot take anything for granted even for a single solitary second.
Sometimes during a match, a player endures a serious injury as he puts his body on the line to still play in the match. This shows the passion and mental toughness of a player who even after suffering still walks out on the field. In the history of the game, there have been several lion-hearted efforts by many players. These cricketers sacrificed their health and safety and still played a part in the match.
Here are a few brave instances when cricketers battled injuries to play for their team:
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5. Steve Smith
This is the most recent incident in the list and it features the great Aussie batsman, Steve Smith. The Test match specialist was batting beautifully against England at Lord’s. Then happened the showdown between him and speedster Jofra Archer. The fast bowler bowled a barrage of a bouncer at Smith once there was no other way to dismiss him.
Archer ran in and bowled a brutal bouncer which laid Smith down flat on the ground. The significant incident was greeted by pin-drop silence by the crowd at Lord’s. Smith went through a concussion test and headed back to the pavilion as he needed to rest.
Once another wicket fell, Smith surprised everyone and walked out to bat much to the delight of the crowd. The first ball he faced after returning, Smith slogged it to the mid-wicket fence that was greeted by a huge round of applause. Smith on that day proved the fact that not only he is a great batsman but also a great fighter.
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4. Malcolm Marshall
The legendary cricketer from West Indies, Malcolm Marshall was one of the greatest fast bowlers the world has ever seen. Marshall always tried doing his best for his side in whatever way possible. West Indies were facing England in a Test match in 1984 at Headingly, Leeds. Marshall injured his thumb badly and it seemed as if he will not take any further part in the match.
His teammate Larry Gomes was stranded on 96 with only Marshall remaining to bat. Marshall shocked everyone and came out to bat with a broken thumb. His photos of batting with only one hand are one of the most iconic photos of all time. The legendary fast bowler then came out to the field and single-handedly destroyed England’s batting line up. He finished with outstanding figures of 53 for seven and completely turned the match in favour of his team.
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3. Gary Kirsten
The gritty South African opening batsman Gary Kirsten is next in this list. Kirsten while playing against Pakistan in 2003 was his usual self as he was building yet another big innings. Then the Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar took flight and delivered a brutal bouncer. Kirsten was late on the full and the ball hit him extremely hard on his face. Even with the protection of the helmet, the South African suffered an injury. He got retired hurt and was immediately taken for an X-Ray.
The reports showed that Kirsten had a broken nose. In the second innings of South Africa, Kirsten did the unthinkable and again came out to bat. His efforts although went in vain as Pakistan registered a comfortable victory. But this Test match that took place in Lahore will always be remembered for Kirsten’s heroics and will go down as one of the brave instances when cricketers battled injuries to play for their team.
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2. Graeme Smith
The former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith walking out to bat with a broken left hand to save the Test match in Sydney even after winning the series will go down as one of the great lionhearted moments in cricket history. A genuine great of the game and a true leader, Smith proved how much his team meant to him. After suffering a nasty blow on his left hand, he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. The news came out that Smith has fractured and broke his left hand.
When South Africa was fighting to save the Test match and had only one wicket reaming, Smith defied the odds and came out to bat and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The southpaw was barely able to grip his bat but still did his best for his side. Talk about leam the from the front, this superhuman effort will never be forgotten.
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1. Anil Kumble
You just can’t look beyond this valorous display of grit and determination of Anil Kumble. In 2003, India was playing a Test match against West Indies. While batting Kumble was struck by a climbing short ball by Mervyn Dillon that injured him and ultimately broke his jaw. He spat out blood on the pitch but that did not bother him as he continued playing.
Kumble after batting came out to bowl with a bandage around his face and neck and delivered 14 overs. The match in Antigua resulted in a draw but the real winner of this match was Anil Kumble. The legendary spinner of India even after having a broken jaw carried on playing with the same intensity which is one of the few brave instances when cricketers battled injuries to play for their team.