At the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, during Match 1 of the Tri-Nation Series versus Pakistan, Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand was left bleeding profusely from his forehead. Ravindra lost the ball in the floodlights as it came towards him while fielding at deep square-leg. For a minute, Ravindra remained motionless as the ball struck him in the face.
The fans and the New Zealand team were stunned by what had happened after Khushdil Shah’s slog-sweep, which caused the stadium to fall silent.
Watch video here (Sensitive Footage Alert):
Rachin Ravindra bleeding 😱😱😱#PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/zGhcAOT4DM
— Manoo (@1missmanoo) February 8, 2025
As he left the playing field, an ice pack was applied on his forehead to stop the blood flow. After a few minutes, the over continued, and Michael Bracewell let up five runs in the next three deliveries. At the end of that over, which was the 37th of the hosts’ innings, Pakistan were 204/5. Ravindra was removed after a 19-ball 25 earlier in the day.
Pakistan loses the first game of the series by 78 runs.
Pakistan was bowled out for 252 in 47.5 overs, with Fakhar Zaman (84 off 69) the only hitter to surpass the 40-run threshold. With a score of 3/41 in his 10-over limit, Mitchell Santner was outstanding. The second New Zealander to finish with three wickets was Henry. Despite taking one fewer wicket, Bracewell’s final stats were identical as Santner’s.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand was five wickets down at 207 after 40 overs and was on the verge of finishing with a below-average score. The tourists reached a competitive 330 at the conclusion of 50 overs thanks to a brilliant, power-packed performance by Glenn Phillips, who scored his first ODI century. The next match for New Zealand is against South Africa on Monday, February 10.
India
