These unintentional self-inflicted wounds proved costly

The Indian team suffered a massive setback after losing the service of Ravindra Jadeja for the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia. The absence of Jadeja will disrupt the team composition, and the selectors don’t have much time on their hands to finalise the replacements. 

Jadeja got injured while doing an adventurous activity near the hotel where the Indian team stayed for the Asia Cup. Jadeja twisted his knees while skiboarding and had to undergo surgery which ruled him out for the next couple of months. Jadeja is a crucial member of the squad, and his freakish injury has pissed the BCCI officials, as indulging in any form of “adventurous activity” during the series is forbidden as per the contract. 

But he is not the first cricketer to get injured away from the field. Let’s take a look at seven such bizarre injuries that happened outside the field.

When #TeamIndia hit 𝗨.𝗡.𝗪.𝗜.𝗡.𝗗! 👏 Time for some surf, sand & beach volley! 😎#AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/cm3znX7Ll4

Already out due to a finger injury, Matthew Hayden used to go for a jog to keep himself fit and ready for the upcoming Ashes. But one fine morning he was attacked by a stray dog, and Hayden walked back with 5cm deep wound on his ankle. Luckily, there were no ligaments or tendon damage. “It was a vicious attack,” Hayden told Sunday Mail. “I was was out for a leisurely run. You are always a bit shocked by that sort of thing but I was more disappointed than anything. It just hasn’t been my week.”

Talk about your freak injuries 😱 A slip in socks has cost England's Ben Foakes a home Test debut! https://t.co/5wta7OhmNs pic.twitter.com/xLIJC7z9lq

A wicket-keeper with a watertight technique behind the stumps, Ben Foakes earned a national call-up for the Test series against New Zealand. Foakes’ wicket-keeping technique is second to none in England, but had to spend years as a backup to more flamboyant batters – Bairstow and Jos Buttler. It was a great opportunity for Foakes to reaffirm his credentials, but he missed out on action after slipping on the socks in Surrey’s dressing room, just ahead of the series.

"This is a urine sample?!!!" Ian Botham seems to be a little stunned by what he has just heard from Brearley and Gatting, Boycott seems delighted, and Taylor and Willis look concerned. Chris Old? Well, he might actually be considering a shave! The balcony, Edgbaston, 1981. pic.twitter.com/71NjDnlQmE

Chris Old is most fondly remembered as the batter who played second fiddle to Ian Botham in England’s miraculous victory over Australia at Headingley in 1981. Old once sneezed so hard that it broke his ribcage. His entire career was plagued by injuries, and as a tribute to him, the first bowling machine assembled at Lord’s was named after him. Like Old, the bowling machine rarely worked without any trouble.

On what was his first tour to the Caribbean, Chris Lewis was concerned about the soaring temperature. He asked Devon Malcolm to shave his head ahead of the first Test in Antigua. He may have defeated the Caribbean heat too if not for a silly mistake. He took the field without applying sunscreen or wearing a hat, and his clean and shiny head caught the sunstroke. Lewis had to miss the game.

Jofra Archer could be back playing for England before too long 👀🏏 https://t.co/Ij4zJ5KVru

Jofra Archer was already recovering from the nagging elbow injury when a bizarre mishap cut his middle-finger, ruling him out of the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League. Archer was cleaning the fish tank when it slipped out of his hand, and the shattered glass got embedded in the middle finger of his right hand. While the finger injury didn’t take long to heal, the elbow injury has still kept him out of the field. He may return by the end of this year.

Jonny Bairstow’s summer of abundance, where runs came thick and fast and often when his team were in crisis mode, ends on a heartbreaking note. Between the second and third Test against South Africa, Bairstow ended up hurting his lower limb while playing golf at Leeds. Not only he misses the final Test but also the T20I World Cup, and is replaced by a dashing young batter Harry Brook. As per English media, Bairstow slipped on the course while walking to the teeing ground.

If you ever think the small moments are insignificant, think about the size of the ball Glenn McGrath rolled his ankle on before Edgbaston in 2005 and how it help change the future of English cricket forever 🏏 #bbccricket #CricketTwitter

Had Glen McGrath been fit for the rest of the series, the iconic 2005 Ashes, perhaps, would have taken a different route. McGrath led his team to an emphatic victory at the Lord’s in the first Test, where he also completed 500 wickets. Ahead of the second Test in Edgbaston, the Australian team was playing rugby in the practice session, and McGrath ended up slipping on the loose ball on the ground, and broke his ankle.

Lead Image: Ravindra Jadeja/Instagram