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West Indies debutant hospitalised after helmet hit

Jeremy Solozano cleared of any structural damage after being hit at short leg as Sri Lanka take control on day one of the first Test

West Indies debutant Jeremy Solozano has been cleared of any structural damage but remains in a Colombo hospital after being struck on the helmet during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

Fielding at short leg, Solozano was struck hard on the front of the helmet when Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne firmly pulled a short ball off the bowling of spinner Roston Chase.

Karunaratne had middled the ball, which would likely have gone to the boundary had Solozano not been hit, meaning the debutant had no time to react or avoid the ball.

Solozano lay still on the ground for several minutes after the blow as medical staff attended to him and worried players from both teams gathered around.

He was eventually stretchered off the ground and taken to a hospital in Colombo, which is more than an hour's drive away.

Image Id: CFA97454A8D2426CB49F87ABF60EB91D Image Caption: Solozano is treated by medical staff // Getty

The Windies later tweeted that the 26-year-old had been cleared of any structural damage but would remain in hospital overnight.

Karunaratne pushed on to score an opening day century to put Sri Lanka in a strong position at stumps on day one.

Karunaratne compiled an opening stand of 139 with Pathum Nissanka (56), a Sri Lankan first-wicket partnership record against the Windies, before the skipper went on to be 132 not out at the close as Sri Lanka racked up 3-267.

He lost Oshada Fernando and Angelo Mathews cheaply but found good support from Dhananjaya de Silva, who was unbeaten on 56 at the close. The pair added 97 in the last 23 overs as the West Indies bowlers flagged in the heat.

Image Id: 13C641E7418548ABAC285A16A14AB9C3 Image Caption: Sri Lanka's skipper stood tall on the opening day // Getty

Chase, with 2-42 in 17 overs, was the pick of the eight bowlers used in the visiting attack.

On a pitch that is expected to become more difficult and favour spin Karunaratne took time to get going, scoring only 32 in the opening session.

He was dropped on 14 at slip by Jermaine Blackwood off Rakeem Cornwall, a miss that looks very expensive.