VIDEO: The moment a cricket fan gets hit in face with ball

Most Americans interest in the sport of cricket would probably fall below watching paint dry and — if the Jerry Seinfeld American Express commercial a decade ago hadn't given us a five-second glimpse into the sport — a wicked googly is a term that would be rarely Googled over here.

One way to get U.S. fans interested in the gentlemanly sport with the same uniforms is show some poor fan take a bumper to the head with a nearly six-ounce cricket ball.

Here it is. And to make it sound authentic, here's how it was described in The Daily Mail.com:

Just one six was hit on the second day of the first test between New Zealand and England and Dunedin — but one poor lad wore it right on his temple. Having skittled England out for a pitiful 167, Kiwi openers Hamish Rutherford  and Peter Fulton had seen off the new ball and were just setting into their stride when Monty Panesar was bought into the attack by Alastair Cook.

But while the watching public were waiting to see if the spinner could exact any turn from a decent pitch, one unlucky punter took his eye off the ball as the left-handed Rutherford sent the ball sailing over the long-on rope.

You may not understand a single word (here's a cricket glossary) in the article, but it is way more interesting watching the guy get hit in the face with the rock-hard ball.




The spectator wasn't seriously injured but, as the announcers put it, "It's a falcon (hit to head).  It's a painful one, too."