Sri Lanka vs West Indies 2021: Debutant Jeremy Solozano stretchered off field, taken to hospital after receiving blow to helmet while fielding 

West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano had to be stretchered off the field and taken to hospital after being stuck on his helmet while fielding in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first in the Test that got underway on Sunday. In the 24th over of the innings, Solozano was hit on the helmet as Dimuth Karunaratne smashed a short ball from Roston Chase. Solozano, fielding at short leg, tried to duck but the stroke was so fierce that he couldn’t get out of the way in time.

Posting an update on Twitter, Cricket West Indies informed:

“Debutant Jeremy Solozano was stretchered off the field after receiving a blow to his helmet while fielding. He has been taken to the hospital for scans. We are hoping for a speedy recovery.”

According to journalist Rex Clementine, Solozano has been transferred to a hospital in Colombo from Galle.

The 26-year-old West Indian cricketer has played 40 first-class matches and 10 List A games, scoring 1686 and 312 runs respectively.

Sri Lankan openers off to solid start in 1st Test against West Indies

The Sri Lankan openers got off to an excellent start in the first Test in Galle. Batting first after winning the toss, they reached 61 for no loss at Lunch, with both Pathum Nissanka and skipper Karunaratne looking in good touch.

The Sri Lankan openers continued their good work in the second session as well. They were 105 for no loss after 40 overs, with Karunaratne batting on 59 and Nissanka on 38.

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Playing XIs for 1st Test

Sri Lanka playing XI: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldeniya, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama.

West Indies playing XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Jeremy Solozano, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican, Shannon Gabriel

The second Test of the two-match series will also be played in Galle from November 29.