ENG vs SA, ICC World Cup 2019: Hashim Amla retires hurt after being hit by 'Archer bouncer'

Veteran batsman Hashim Amla was batting on five when he completely missed the vicious bouncer from Archer while attempting to play a pull shot. The ball crashed into Amla’s helmet grille after which he had several minutes of on-field treatment before walking off as Aiden Markram came to the middle.

The South Africa cricket team faced a huge blow as their star batsman Hashim Amla retired hurt after copping a blow to the helmet from an ‘Archer bouncer’ in the World Cup opener against England at the Oval on Thursday. Amla was batting on five when he completely missed the vicious bouncer from Archer while attempting to play a pull shot. The ball crashed into Amla’s helmet grille after which he had several minutes of on-field treatment before walking off as Aiden Markram came to the middle. The Proteas were then 14 without loss in the fourth over chasing 312 to win on an Oval ground where Amla made a South Africa record 311 not out in a Test against England in 2012. It was uncertain whether Amla would bat again in the innings, with a statement issued by Cricket South Africa on their Twitter feed saying: "@amlahash has been assessed and is doing fine." It added: "Due to the sensitive nature of head injuries, he will undergo another reassessment during the course of the innings which will give an indication of his further participation in the match."

INJURY UPDATE| #ENGvsSA @amlahash has been assessed and is doing fine. Due to the sensitive nature of head injuries, he will undergo another re-assessment during the course of the innings which will give an indication of his further participation in the match. #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/L6gqtJWPeO

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) May 30, 2019

However, despite all the effort by South Africa batsmen, England were off to a winning start as their star speedster Jofra Archer bagged three wickets, while Plunkett and Stokes get two each to help the hosts beat South Africa by 104 runs.