Umpire struck in head by cricket ball
John Ward. (Supplied)
Australian umpire John Ward is in a stable condition after being struck in the head by the ball while officiating in a domestic cricket match in India.
Ward was felled by a powerful shot from Punjab's Brainder Sran on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy clash against Tamil Nadu in Dindigul on Tuesday.
Ward was rushed to a nearby medical centre and then transferred to a hospital.
Dindigul District Cricket Association secretary N Venkataraman refuted reports that Ward had been knocked unconscious.
"After he got hit he fell to the ground, but he stood up and walked up to the ambulance by himself," Venkataraman told ESPNcricinfo.
"He is completely normal. He has a tiny bulge behind the right ear which was identified in the scan. The medical observation, as per BCCI norms, has to be done in a big hospital, so we have shifted him to Apollo Hospitals in Madurai.
"There also we took scans. He is completely alright. Normally, in the event of a head injury, a patient is advised to be under observation for a day or two. He has been advised rest for a minimum of one day."
Ward was working in India as part of an umpiring exchange between Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
