Getting out hit wicket is always a very rare form of dismissal for a batsman in test match cricket and also, one of the most unfortunate ways to get out and the manner in which the Sri Lankan middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva got himself out hit wicket in the ongoing test match against West Indies was even more bizarre.
Normally when a batsman gets out hit wicket, it happens in the process of playing a shot and not after he has completed his shot, but in the case of Dhananjaya de Silva, he hit his stumps after he had completed his shot.
While facing Shannon Gabriel, who is one of the quickest bowlers in the game, De Silva played a defensive shot right under his nose, but the ball after hitting the turf bounced and De Silva thought it would fall onto his stumps and he might be dismissed bowled.
Dhananjaya de Silva got out while trying to prevent the ball from falling onto his stumps
As any batsman would do in such situation, De Silva tried to hit the ball away from the stumps before it would fall onto his stumps, but surprisingly, even in two attempts, he couldn’t connect with the ball and in his second attempt, rather than hitting the ball, De Silva actually hit his stumps.
Since the ball was not dead at that stage and was still in play, the umpire considered it a hit wicket dismissal and Dhananjaya de Silva had to return to the pavilion at a crucial stage of the game when he could have consolidated Sri Lanka’s position further in the test match after the great start that the hosts had.
Very unlucky , very very unlucky Dhananjaya De Silva .. One of the rarest things you will get to see in cricket – Hit wicket .. Most unluckiest dismissal for a batsman #WIvSL pic.twitter.com/rFQQMGcRv9
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There have been instances of players hitting the stumps with their legs while trying to go deep into the crease or hitting their stumps while playing a late cut, but it might have been the first instance of a player getting out hit wicket while trying to save himself from getting out bowled.
