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 Bloody battle Waugh, Gillespie break bones in collision
Posted: Friday September 10, 1999 02:06 PM
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lankan surgeons operated upon Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh's broken nose and fast bowler Jason Gillespie's fractured shin Friday. Both players were fine, but won't be able to play for several weeks. Gillespie is likely to fly home and physicians will check on Waugh Saturday to decide if he should also return to Australia for more medical treatment. Both players collided with each other while trying to take a catch during the first test match against Sri Lanka on Friday. "The operation was not complicated," said bone specialist Vasantha Perera, who operated upon Gillespie. "I manipulated the bone and put a plaster on it. It was not a serious injury," Dr. Perera told The Associated Press. But Gillespie will need more medical care from specialists in Australia and rest for at least three weeks for the bone to set. "His nose was disfigured and there were serious lacerations," said surgeon Ashoka Jayasena, who operated upon Waugh. "Waugh wants to get back to play by tomorrow, but I told him it was out of question and he would have to wait for at least two weeks," Dr. Jayasena said. An army helicopter flew Waugh and Gillespie to capital Colombo from the central town of Kandy, where Australia is playing the test match and appears to be in a tight spot with a lead of only 43 runs with eight second-innings wickets in hand. The two players crashed into each other while trying to take a catch to dismiss Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardana at square leg. As the news of the injuries spread, Sri Lankans flocked to the Nawaloka Hospital in Colombo to find out about the condition of the Australians.
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