SL vs WI: Jeremy Solozano to remain under medical observation after head blow, scans reveal no damage

West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano will continue to remain under medical observation, having taken a dangerous blow on his head while fielding at short leg on the opening day of the first Test in Galle. Solozano’s scan showed no structural damage, the Cricket West Indies confirmed on November 21, but he is understood to be kept under observation as a precautionary measure.

The 26-year-old had to be stretchered off the field before lunch on Day 1 when he was hit by a powerful Dimuth Karunaratne pull shot off Roston Chase in the 24th over. The ball rammed straight into his helmet grille, the rear part of which came off owing to the strong impact. Solozano lay still on the ground before the physios and medicos attended him while he was surrounded by his teammates and Sri Lanka batting pair.

Following that, he underwent scans at a Colombo hospital. “Jeremy Solozano’s scans show no structural damage. He will be kept at the hospital overnight for observation. We will continue to keep you posted on any further updates from our Medical team,” Cricket West Indies tweeted on November 21.

Solozano, who hails from Trinidad and has featured in 40 first-class games, was spoken of highly by chief selector Roger Harper while he was given his maiden call-up.

“The Best v Best matches provided the opportunity for the players to spend some time in the middle honing their skills for this tour,” Harper had said in a CWI release. “The aim was to simulate as much as possible, the conditions that the team will likely face in Sri Lanka, so it was good to see the batsmen spending time at the crease while putting some scores together and the bowlers looking to build pressure and create wicket-taking opportunities.

“Jeremy played for the West Indies A team in 2019 (against India A) with success and in the Best v Best matches he displayed a sense of application, patience, and composure while looking very comfortable against both pace and spin which encouraged the panel to invest in him at this point.”