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Voges ruled out for next County clash

Middlesex will be without Australian skipper Adam Voges for Nottinghamshire's visit as he continues his recovery from freak accident

Australia batsman Adam Voges has been ruled out of Middlesex's next County Championship game as he continues his recovery from a freak accident that left him concussed.

Voges was hit in the back of the head on day one of Middlesex's match against Hampshire last Sunday, and was taken to hospital with concussion.

He will now sit out Middlesex's next match against Nottinghamshire, featuring fellow Test bowler Jackson Bird, starting this Sunday at Lord's.

Voges, the Middlesex captain this season, was fielding at slip when former England Test opener Michael Carberry hit a boundary to fine leg.

WATCH: Voges felled during County match

The return throw from sub-fielder Ollie Rayner was over the head of wicketkeeper John Simpson and struck Voges on the back of the head. The Australian had remained in his fielding position and was looking down the wicket when the throw came in.

The 36-year-old immediately fell to the ground but was conscious when the Middlesex physiotherapist reached him in the middle. It is unclear whether he lost consciousness prior to receiving treatment.

With the assistance of both teams' physios, Voges was able to walk off the Rose Bowl ground. He was taken to hospital as a precaution but later released and did not take any further part in the match.

Voges opted to stay with the team for the remainder of the match as Middlesex played out their third successive draw to open the season, and understandably did still have a splitting headache after the blow.

It is unclear if he will be in the dressing room at Lord's as he continues to recover.

"(It was) a freak injury, as such, but I suppose you wonder with a cricket ball thrown around a field as much it is, you wonder why it doesn't happen a bit more often," Middlesex director of cricket Angus Fraser said last week.

"They're hard things, cricket balls, and it's sad news for Adam and obviously disappointing for us.

"He wasn't feeling very well in the dressing room (after the knock) but he's been taken to hospital to get it checked over. He was feeling a lot better and seems to be coming around."

Voges has hit 21, 92 and 50 in his three hits for Middlesex this season and the Lord's-based club sit third in Division One. Notts are top, three points ahead, with one win and one defeat in their three matches.

Since scoring a century on his Test debut for Australia last year against the West Indies, the right-hander has become a crucial fixture in Australia's Test side. In eight Tests last summer, Voges passed 100 four times, notching two double-centuries, and he currently boasts the incredible average of 95.

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