New Zealand are currently taking on England in a two test match series and we are nearly halfway through the first match. At the moment of writing, the match is poised nicely, with New Zealand on 144/4 after bowling England out for 353. However, there is some concern over the well-being of New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls.

Nicholls Was Hit on the Head

At the end of the second day, Nicholls was hit on the head by a ferocious bouncer from England’s Jofra Archer, drawing concerned grasps from those who were watching on in the crowd. Nicholls misread the ball, tried to duck out of the way, but only ended up taking the full force of the ball on the back of the helmet.

He stayed on his feet, but he was clearly rattled by what had just happened. The England fielders and BJ Watling all rushed to him to see if he was okay.

The Medical Staff Gave the Green Light for Him to Carry on

After a short delay, the New Zealand medical gave him the green light to continue playing, and he saw out the rest of the over without any worry. The team doctor, Tommy Simsek, asked the standard concussion questions. He asked him the name of the stadium that they were playing at as well as the name of the bowler he had just faced.

The day’s play finished after the next over, with Nicholls on 26* and Watling on 6*.

The Medical Staff Are Still Monitoring Him Though

The medical staff are still keeping a close eye in Nicholls just in case he starts to show some signs of delayed concussion. If the medical team believe that he is experiencing some symptoms of concussion, they will not permit him to play any more of this match.

If this is the case, Nicholls will be replaced in the team by Tom Blundell, who can also keep wicket as well.

This is Not the First Time Archer Has Hit Someone on the Head

Archer can bowl with speeds up to 96mph, so it is no wonder that batsmen are getting hurt when he is bowling. In fact, in one of the warm-up matches, Archer struck Hamish Rutherford on the helmet, ruling him out of the next match he was due to be playing in. Of course, who can forget the battle that Archer had with Steve Smith during the recent Ashes series? During the test at Lord’s, Archer struck Smith on the helmet, and he was ruled out the rest of the test the following day and was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne. He was also ruled out of the following test.

Archer will continue to bowl at these speeds, so we won’t be surprised if he is the cause of quite a few concussion substitutes throughout his England career.