Matt Kelly opens up on 'scary' on-field incident ahead of BBL final
The bowler has opened up about the freak incident that left him concussed.
Perth Scorchers star Matt Kelly has revealed he feared he could have suffered a horrible injury after a freak accident in the Big Bash. Kelly was backing up at the stumps - as a fielder - at the non-striker's end when the a throw ricocheted off Melbourne Renegades star Aaron Finch's bat.
The ball deflected into Kelly's face, which left him on the floor, concussed and bleeding. Players rushed to his side as Kelly was helped off the field.
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Kelly missed the qualifying final match against the Sydney Sixers last weekend, but will be available for selection in the grand final at Optus Stadium if he is selected. And the bowler has opened up about the scary moment, which he finds hard to watch back on replay.
"It was pretty scary. It wasn't nice to be a part of," Kelly said of the freak incident. "I've only looked back at it once and I don't intend to watch it again.
"It's not too nice to talk about. I do remember the ball coming in and hitting me, and then there's a bit of a blank spot there. I was lucky I didn't lose all my teeth and that my jaw was fine, so I'm very grateful.
"I had stitches on the outside of my mouth, and then quite a big cut inside my mouth. But other than that I was fine, apart from the concussion symptoms. Once I knew I had no major damage, I was relatively calm about it."
Matt Kelly awaits grand final selection call
Unfortunately for Kelly, he is not a certain selection in Perth's home final. Lance Morris is now joining the Australian Test squad in India, which leaves either Kelly or spinner Peter Hatzoglou for the decider.
"Unfortunately that's the nature of sport," Kelly said of the selection squeeze. "We're all competitive people and we want to play all the time.
"We love being part of this group. To have success you're going to have to make sacrifices, and that means selection dilemmas. I'm glad I'm not making that decision."
Meanwhile, rising sensation Aaron Hardie is focused on Saturday's final, despite calls for him to don the baggy green. Hardie's star displays at No.3 have played a key role in helping guide the Scorchers into Saturday's BBL decider at Optus Stadium, where more than 50,000 fans are set to converge.
The 24-year-old has plundered 443 runs this season - behind only Matt Short's 458 - and he's also snared four wickets despite being unable to bowl for several matches due to a quad niggle. This has prompted Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting to urge selectors to hand Hardie a Test debut as a replacement for the injured Cameron Green.
Hardie ended up being overlooked after Australia opted to play Matt Renshaw, but the WA allrounder remains firmly in the thoughts of selectors going forward. Regardless, Hardie is only looking forward to the final and isn't distracted from the high praise.
"I haven't really thought about that too much," Hardie said when asked about his international prospects. "I've got a very good friend of mine doing a pretty good job at that at the moment and I'm enjoying watching him play."
with AAP
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