Mushfiqur Rahim cleared of serious injury after head blow

Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim has been cleared of any serious injury after he was struck by a bouncer on the final day of the opening Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

The 28-year-old batsman sustained a blow to the back of the head after being hit by a Tim Southee's bouncer while batting at 13 during Bangladesh's second innings, which ended at 160-9 leaving New Zealand a 217-run target to win.

Subsequently, Mushfiqur lay on the pitch for several minutes before being put on a stretcher in a neck brace and carried into the ambulance which drove him to nearby Wellington Hospital.

However, a team spokeperson has now confirmed that Mushfiqur had an X-ray in the hospital and that there was no evidence of significant harm from the Southee's delivery, Sport24 reported.

The first Test, which Kane Williamson's side went on to win by seven wickets, saw many short-pitched deliveries, with New Zealand batsman Mitchell Santner taking a fierce blow to the head from Taskin Ahmed in the first innings while Neil Wagner was hit thrice by Kamrul Islam.