South Africa’s Faf du Plessis was taken to hospital after suffering a concussion following a horrific collision with his Quetta Gladiators teammate Mohammad Hasnain during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Peshawar Zalmi on Saturday,

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head. This could happen with or without the loss of consciousness.

The incident happened when Faf du Plessis dived for the ball at the long-on boundary and while he did get his hand on the ball, the South African’s head collided with the knee of Hasnain, who was charging in from the opposite direction.

Faf du Plessis was unable to get up and he laid on the ground for a few minutes as the Gladiators’ medical team assessed him. The batsman eventually got on his feet and was taken back to the dressing room. The team management later confirmed that the 36-year-old was taken to the hospital for further scans.

The former South Africa captain gave an update about his health on Twitter as he wrote, " Thank you everyone for all the messages of support. I'm back at the hotel recovering. Have concussion with some memory loss but I will be fine. Hopefully, be back on the field soon. Much love."

Saim Ayub came on as a concussion substitute. 

Chasing a target of 198, Quetta Gladiators fell 61 runs short as they could only score 136 in 20 overs.

Faf du Plessis’ wife reacts to the incident

Following the incident, Faf du Plessis’ wife, Imari Visser du Plessis took to social media to show concern for her husband. She wrote on an Instagram Story post, “This is killing me right now. Surely he should be checked in hospital?”

This was the second consecutive PSL 2021 match for Quetta Gladiators where they were forced to use a concussion substitute. During their 10-wicket loss to Islamabad United on Friday, all-rounder Andre Russell took a blow to his helmet from a Mohammad Musa delivery. 

Russell was checked by the team physio and while he was allowed to continue, he got out in the very next ball. Russell was later stretched out from the dressing room to an ambulance. Naseem Shah came on as a concussion substitute for the Windies all-rounder.

What is a concussion substitute in cricket?

According to the rules books of ICC, “Teams will have the option of replacing a player who has sustained a head or neck injury during an international match and has subsequently been diagnosed with a concussion or suspected concussion,” the ICC rule states.

Furthermore, the decision of match officials plays a big role in making the substitution as they approve who the concussion substitute should be. As per the rules, the substitute should be a like-to-like replacement.

But in case if a team brings in an all-rounder to replace a batsman, the match-referee will have the power to restrict the substitute from bowling.

Featured photo: Twitter / Team Quetta

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Faf du PlessisPakistan Super League, 2021 Pakistan Super League