Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne suffered an unfortunate mishap in the field, hit on the mouth by the ball as he claimed a catch, and hospitalised after losing several teeth.

The right-arm quick sustained the blow during the Lanka Premier League, during Kandy Falcon’s second game against Galle Gladiators.

The injury came early in the game, with Galle Gladiators struggling early on. They entered the fourth over on 19-2, and lost two more wickets in the Carlos Brathwaite over, though the first came at a cost to their own team. Nuwanidu Fernando skied the ball, and Karunaratne settled under the swirling chance. The ball burst through his palms and into his face, but he had the sense to hold onto the rebound.

However, with his mouth bleeding, the 26-year-old was forced to run from the field, replaced by Chamindu Wijesinghe as a concussion substitute. It was later revealed that Karunaratne had lost four front teeth in the incident. Kandy Falcons went on to win by five wickets, with five overs remaining.

Karunaratne has played 57 times for Sri Lanka across formats, taking 38 wickets and scoring one half-century. Part of the T20 World Cup squad which was eliminated at the Super 12 stage, he copped a suspended one-year ban for a disciplinary breach while in Australia.

Watch Karunaratne’s catch below:

 

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