LAHORE: New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra suffered a sickening blow to the head after he appeared to misjudge a catch during his team’s ODI victory over Pakistan on Saturday.
The 25-year-old was fielding at deep square leg when he seemed to lose sight of the ball against the Qaddafi Stadium floodlights as he shaped to take a catch to dismiss Khushdil Shah.
Blood poured from the head of a dazed Ravindra while the crowd looked on with concern.
After being treated, he left the field holding a bandage tight to his bloodied forehead.
“Ravindra was forced from the field after being struck in the forehead by the ball attempting a catch in the 38th over,” a New Zealand Cricket spokesman told cricinfo.
“He sustained a laceration to the forehead which has been addressed and treated at the ground, but is otherwise well. He came through his first HIA (Head Injury Assessment) well and will continue to be monitored under HIA processes.”
Earlier Ravindra had scored 25 from 19 balls at the top of the order as New Zealand piled up 330-6 before his team went on to claim a 78-run win.
The match was part of a tri-nations series which also features South Africa and is a warm-up ahead of the Champions Trophy later this month.
New Zealand’s Ravindra suffers sickening head injury in Pakistan ODI
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New Zealand’s Ravindra suffers sickening head injury in Pakistan ODI
- Ravindra was fielding at deep square leg when he seemed to lose sight of ball at Gaddafi Stadium
- After being treated, the 25-year-old left the field holding a bandage tight to his bloodied forehead
Spain will host 2030 World Cup final, says RFEF president
- Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Santiago Bernabeu or Camp Nou
- Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators
MADRID: Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan has said that Spain will stage the final of the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Morocco wants to stage the game in Casablanca at the Grand Stade Hassan II, a huge stadium currently under construction north of the city.
“Spain has proven its organizational capacity over many years. It will be the leader of the 2030 World Cup and the final of that World Cup will be held here,” Louzan said late on Monday at an event organized by the Madrid Sports Press Association.
Louzan did not say whether the match would be played at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu or Barcelona’s Camp Nou, the two leading candidates.
Once completed in late 2028, the new stadium in Morocco is expected to hold 115,000 spectators. Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF) President Faouzi Lekjaa last year expressed his wish to see a final against Spain in Casablanca.
Louzan also alluded to the challenges Morocco faced during its hosting of the last Africa Cup of Nations, including the chaotic scenes during the final between Senegal and Morocco this month.
That match, which Senegal won 1-0, was overshadowed by fan disruptions and player protests that temporarily halted play.
“Morocco is really undergoing a transformation in every sense, with magnificent stadiums,” Louzan said. “We must recognize what has been done well. But in the Africa Cup of Nations, we have seen scenes that damage the image of world football.”
FIFA and the Portuguese and Moroccan football federations have not responded to requests for comment on the final’s location.
FIFA told Reuters last year it was premature to decide the venue for the 2030 final, saying the host city for the 2026 World Cup final was revealed only two years before the tournament. World soccer’s ruling body has the final say on where the match will be played.
