Shai Hope to replace West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano in 1st test against Sri Lanka

The West Indies cricket board on Monday announced batter Shai Hope as concussion replacement for Jeremy Solozano, who suffered a dangerous blow to his head during day one of the ongoing first Test match against Sri Lanka. Solonzo was taken to the hospital for scans on Sunday after he was hit by Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne on his head. Solozano was kept in hospital overnight for observation. On Monday, the West Indies cricket board informed that Solozano's scans show no structural damage to his head and that the 26-year-old Trinidad and Tobago cricketer will return to the team hotel today to begin undergoing the appropriate protocol. 

What happened to Solozano?

The incident had occurred in the 24th over of Sri Lanka's first innings. Dimuth Karunaratne hit a powerful pull shot off a short delivery by Roston Chase, which went straight in the direction of Solozano and hit him on the grille of his helmet. As soon as the ball hit Solozano's helmet, the protection guard on the back fell off due to strong impact. After the accident, Solozano lay flat on the ground before being stretchered off by a team of medical staff.

Jeremy Solozano first came into the spotlight after playing for West Indis in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014. After playing for Trinidad and Tobago in Professional Cricket League and the 2019-20 Regional Super 50 tournament, Solozano was selected in the Windies Test squad for their tour of Sri Lanka. He has scored a total of 1686 first-class runs in 40 matches before making his Test debut on Sunday.

As far as the first Test match is concerned, Karunaratne hit a magnificent half-century to help Sri Lanka post big runs on the board. Karunaratne scored 147 runs off 300 balls before he was dismissed by Roston Chase. Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva also scored a half-century each for their side, while Dinesh Chandimal scored 45 off 81 balls. Sri Lanka is currently batting at 361/7. 

(Image: WestIndiesCricket/Twitter)