Kevin Pietersen’s farewell appearance in England was cut short by a sickening incident which caused the T20 match against Sussex and Surrey to be abandoned.

Two of his Surrey teammates, Rory Burns and Moises Henriques, slammed into each other while going for a high catch: both were knocked unconscious and  were taken to hospital.

It was meant to be a joyous occasion and a good crowd turned out to the picturesque Arundel ground to say farewell to Pietersen before he headed off to the Caribbean T20 Premier league.

With Sussex 141-7, Sussex batsman Steffan Piolet hit the ball high off the bowling of Tom Curran and, as Burns ran in from the deep and Henriques peddled back from the in-field, the two clashed heads heavily. Both fell to the ground instantly and lay stationary. Fellow Surrey fielders called for help as soon as the seriousness of the situation became clear.

As medics rushed on, all other players left the field and three ambulances arrived to give the players treatment.

Burns remained motionless as he was treated, while Henriques was briefly on his knees before returning to his back. Henriques was placed on a drip before being put in the ambulance. As he was rolled on on a stretcher, he waved to the concerned crowd.

Shortly afterwards Burns was moved on to another ambulance. Both players were taken to the accident and emergency department at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester. The Surrey Cricket Twitter feed reported that “both players are sitting up” after treatment.

Henriques was found to have a broken jaw, while Burns has severe facial injuries.

Picture Courtesy of Southern News and Pictures (SNAP)