Australia vs Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera forced to retire hurt after Jhye Richardson's bouncer hits his helmet

Canberra: Sri Lankan batsman Kusal Perera was forced to retire hurt in a daze Sunday after being hit by an Australian bouncer, a day after Dimuth Karunaratne was hospitalised in a similar scenario. Perera was on 27 when he was hit flush on the helmet ducking into a Jhye Richardson ball on day three of the second Test in Canberra. [caption id=“attachment_6016881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Kusal Perera helped by training staff as he tries to walk off the ground after he was struck on the head by a delivery from Jhye Richardson. AP[/caption] The neck protector flew off and a Sri Lankan physio rushed to his aid. He continued and added two more runs only to call the physio again four balls later. Once again he opted to bat on but after watching his partner Dhananjaya de Silva face another three balls, he was clearly feeling the effects and was helped off the field. Ironically, Karunaratne replaced him after being declared fit again after being felled by a brutal bouncer on Saturday from Pat Cummins. He had laid prone on the ground for at least 10 minutes before being stretchered off in a neck brace, complaining of pain in his neck and tingling in the hands. After a hospital check, he was cleared of concussion and given the okay to resume his innings on Sunday, receiving warm applause as he made his way out at Manuka Oval.