In a bid to climb up the points table, the Sydney Thunder won the toss and chose to field first. The Perth Scorchers’ openers made a solid start, scoring 35 runs in the first four overs, before the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter exploded in the middle overs.
His half-century helped the Scorchers reach 124/4 in 15 overs, setting the stage for a dramatic incident involving Sams and Bancroft.
Lockie Ferguson was brought in to dismiss the in-form Cooper Connolly in the 16th over. He bowled a fuller delivery targeting the legs, and Connolly attempted an aerial flick.
Two fielders, positioned at square leg and deep square leg, raced towards the ball. However, Sams and Bancroft, both fixated on the ball, collided violently. The two fielders lay motionless on the ground, prompting immediate attention from the physio.
A heavy silence fell over the field as the Thunder players gathered around the injured duo, who were later reported to have suffered concussions by the team’s official Twitter account.
A horrific collision between Daniel Sams and Chris Green during the BBL. Hope it's not serious. 🥺#BBL #DanielSams #ChrisGreen #BigBashLeague #InjuryReport #Cricket pic.twitter.com/APtxPh1RAr
— Uc Cricket (@uccricketlive) January 3, 2025
Both players were quickly rushed to the hospital, with Ollie Davies and Hugh Weigben named as their substitutes. The incident sparked an outpouring of empathy on Twitter, with fans reacting to the shocking collision.