‘Lee’thal

SYDNEY: England opener Andrew Strauss escaped serious injury after being struck a sickening blow on the helmet by Australia’s fast bowler Brett Lee in the fifth Ashes Test on Thursday. 

Strauss was taken to a nearby Sydney hospital for precautionary scans after he was felled by the impact but team officials released a brief statement saying he was cleared of any serious damage. England seamer James Anderson later told a news conference that his team mate was fine and joking about the incident. 

“He’s all right. He’s wandering around the dressing room with a bit of a lump on his head but apart from that he’s ok,” Anderson said.

There had been some initial concern for Strauss when he slumped to the ground after ducking into a short ball from Lee in the third over of England’s second innings.

The ball crashed into the protective plastic covering his temple as Australia’s players rushed to his aid and called for medical help.

Strauss had yet to score but was able to continue batting after being examined by an England team doctor and went on to make a brave 29 before he was trapped lbw by Stuart Clark.

Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was fielding at first slip when Strauss was hit and said his players had been worried about his health after the initial impact. 

“He got hit really hard so we all went up and made sure he was OK,” Warne said.

“There was some concern and once we knew he was OK we went back and he played pretty well after that.” Strauss’s dismissal triggered another batting collapse that left England in complete disarray.