New Zealand batter Devon Conway will miss this weekend’s T20 World Cup final against Australia.
During the semi-final win against England on Wednesday, he punched his bat in frustration after being stumped off Liam Livingstone. Although batting gloves are constructed with padding to protect their fingers from the ball, Conway somehow managed to miss the padding with his punch, breaking a bone in his little finger.
He is by no means the first athlete to rule themselves out of action with a self-inflicted injury. Here are a few more examples.
Michael Jordan
Even the all-time greats can be susceptible. After he hung up his Chicago Bulls shirt, NBA Hall of Famer Jofran liked to indulge his twin passions for golf and cigar smoking. However, while lighting up in a Bahamas casino, he accidentally cut his finger on the cigar cutter.
The tendon in his right index finger was slashed. He subsequently had difficulty gripping a ball or a putter with his right hand.
Darius Vassell
Former England forward Darius Vassell was forced to miss three games for Aston Villa when he had a swelling in one of his toes. Instead of seeking medical treatment, he opted to try and cure the problem himself by attempting to relieve the swelling using a power drill – with inevitable consequences.
Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand, at one point the world’s most expensive defender, was once forced to miss a game for Leeds against Aston Villa after injuring himself in a bizarre accident at home. Deciding to relax by watching some television, he sat back in armchair and put his feet up on a coffee table, only to find he had strained a tendon when he tried to move afterwards.
Tony Ferguson
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter Tony Ferguson was forced to miss a Championship fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov after an incident while walking in the street. Renowned for kicking iron bars in training, Ferguson got injured after he spotted a friend on the street, stopped to talk to him, tripped over and fell to the ground.