Kaushal Silva incident was 'scary' - Ford

Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach, has said it was a "scary" moment when Kaushal Silva, the opening batsman, was struck on the back of the head while fielding at short leg recently.

Silva was taking part in a practice match in Pallekele ahead of Sri Lanka leaving for England when he took the blow. He had ducked and turned his head, but was hit below the back rim of the helmet, in the padded rear attachment that has come into use following the death of Phillip Hughes. Team-mates said they believed he might have suffered a more substantial injury if he had been using a helmet without that added protection.

He was initially treated on the field and then at a local hospital before being airlifted to Colombo for further assessment which diagnosed him with mild concussion.

Ford did not see the incident as it happened, but recalled similar feelings to when he was Surrey coach last year and watched Moises Henriques and Rory Burns be involved in an awful collision during a T20 match at Arundel which left Henriques, the Australia allrounder, with a broken jaw.

"I didn't actually see the incident, I was in the nets, but when I came round I could see there was some drama," Ford said. "It was pretty scary for everybody, fortunately the trainer and physio were on hand and managed to do all the necessary things. It reminded me a little of the incident last year with Moises Henrqiues and Rory Burns, it was that kind of feeling but everyone medically handled it really well."

Since being given the all-clear in hospital, Silva was firstly rested and then monitored as he resumed exercise and training when Sri Lanka arrived in England.

"He's recovered really well, he's rested for a while and a bit of monitoring for the first bit of exercise that he did and he's come through," Ford said.