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Broken jaws and inspiring cricket stories - A well-known combination, especially for Indian fans! Anil Kumble's act of bravery in 2002 against West Indies when he played with a broken jaw became a story to tell for the ages. It became the benchmark to what passion and playing for the country is all about and acted as a lesson for young and budding cricketers.
While although many such instances of players playing through injuries have been seen in the last few years, the world of cricket got to witness another moment of sheer bravery. The courage and absolute dedication shown by Australian women's cricketer Beth Mooney in the last few days is nothing short of exceptional, which once again proves how much the sport means to the players.
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On January 17, while getting throw-downs from head coach Matthew Mott, Beth Mooney got a nasty hit on her chin which resulted in a fractured jaw. There was blood all over and there was a lot of panic in the nets. The 28-year-old underwent successful surgery and against all odds, she made herself available for the one-off Test against England, which kicked off on January 27.
"It's pretty incredible, right from the moment she (Mooney) got hit, and to come back to international cricket around a week after having jaw surgery, it's inspirational for the group and she's been really positive around everyone," Australia's captain Meg Lanning said before the match.
Although Mooney failed to make an impact with the bat in first innings, getting out on 3, she gave a demonstration of her heroics while fielding. She took a brilliant catch while standing at second slip, to send Lauren Winfield-Hill back to the pavilion, giving Darcie Brown her first Test wicket.
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And just in case if it was not enough, Mooney went a step ahead and showed that she is a warrior. During one of the incidents, the 28-year-old sprinted after the ball which was racing towards the boundary and without worrying about her broken jaw, she produced a sensational dive to prevent the ball from touching the rope, leaving everyone in awe of her brilliance.
Watch the video here:
Fortunately, she did not get any further injury and continued to play her part on the field. At stumps on Day 2, England Women's team trailed Australia by 102 runs in first innings, with 2 wickets in hand.
