New Zealand opener Tom Latham pulled a short delivery from Marnus Labuschagne and the ball hit Australia's Matthew Wade, positioned at short leg
Australia batsman Matthew Wade is one lucky person. He coped a ferocious hit from New Zealand's stand-in captain Tom Latham during their third Test at Sydney. The Kiwi opener's smack was so powerful that the side grill of Wade's helmet came out of its groove. (More Cricket News)
The frightening incident happened during the 28th over of New Zealand’s first innings on Saturday. Latham pulled a short delivery from Marnus Labuschagne and the ball went straight at Matthew, at short leg.
Watch it here:
As seen in the video, both Latham and Australia captain Tim Paine immediately rushed to Wade and inquired about his well being.
At the moment, Latham was out of the crease and Paine could have easily run the Kiwi out. But the Aussie skipper didn't go for it, and the act earned praise from fans.
Australia, chasing a 3-0 lead, declared their second innings at 217/2 on Day 4 (Monday) to initially set a 421-run target for the Kiwis. But a five-run penalty to Australia for running on the pitch meant that the visitors need 416 runs.