Vaas injures neck

The match was halted for half an hour while a motionless Vaas was tended to by paramedics © AFP

Chaminda Vaas suffered a neck injury when he fell backwards onto a hoarding while attempting to catch a shot by Ravi Bopara, the Essex batsman. The match was brought to a standstill while Vaas, playing for Middlesex, lay motionless on the ground for half an hour as paramedics prepared him to board an ambulance. The back of his neck hit a Friends Provident hoarding, while the ball carried through for a six . According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, Vaas was then strapped on to a stretcher and taken to the Broomfield Hospital. He was released later in the night after undergoing medical tests.

The injury overshadowed an emphatic Essex victory at Chelmsford, where they cantered home by a 9-wicket margin chasing 278. Centuries by Varun Chopra and Mark Pettini, who were involved in an opening stand of 193, helped them reach the target with five overs to spare. Vaas had bowled eight overs and conceded 46 runs without taking a wicket when the incident happened. Ravi Bopara, who stayed on after the reprieve from Vaas, finished with 56 not out.