In a crazy chain of events, West Indies batter Johnson Charles almost saw his helmet smash the stumps after being hit on the face by his own shot. The incident took place in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2023 season. Looking to scoop the ball above his head, Charles ended up hitting his chin through his own shot. As a result, the helmet fell off his head and almost hit the stumps. However, the batter showed great awareness and put his foot in between the ball and helmet to change the latter's direction.
It all happened during the CPL match between St. Lucia Kings and Trinbago Knight Riders. Charles, who plays for St. Lucia, could've seriously hurt himself after the ball hit him on the chin instead of going over his head. While a serious injury was averted, Charles was nearly dismissed hit-wicket after his helmet narrowly missed the stumps.
It happened in the 12th over of the innings when Dwayne Bravo bowled a full toss. The umpires did a brief medical check on Charles before allowing him to continue.
Charles went on to score a 31-ball 37 in the match, helping St. Lucia Kings post a target of 167 runs for Trinbago Knight Riders to chase in 20 overs. Chasing the target, the Knight Riders were bowled out for just 113 runs inside 15 overs.
St. Lucia skipper Faf du Plessis was quite happy with the result. He said at the post-match presentation ceremony: "Happy with the result. Obviously sad I'm leaving. We felt we should've got more in the first innings. We were just saying to hold the nerve. They have guys who hit sixes. The challenge with the elbow is I've played with cortisone injections for 2 years. Have reached a stage where it's not good for my body anymore. For me it's always about pulling people along on the journey. Great to have guys like Chase, Charles and Raza on the field to turn to. Going to miss the SLK."