Yes, Freak Eye Injuries Happen In Cricket, Too

Whatever your preconceived notions of cricket, know this: You do not want to be the wicketkeeper. That's the guy who stands behind the batsman and risks getting a bail in the eye. A "bail" is one of two pieces of wood that sit atop the three stumps (the entire thing is what entails a "wicket), and South Africa's Mark Boucher took one of those bails to the face yesterday, an injury which sent him into a crumpling heap, required emergency surgery on his lacerated left eye, and ended his career in a blink.

Watching this a few times, I'd equate it to someone in baseball swinging a maple bat that, say, shatters upon impact and impales the hitter. (Oh, wait, that actually happened once.) OK, well, now imagine if the catcher wore no protective gear and he got nailed in the eye by a wooden shard. Now, Boucher faces, in his words, " a road of uncertain recovery" and team captain Graeme Smith hailed him as one of his country's greatest players.

South Africa's Mark Boucher retires amid fears of permanent eye damage [UK Guardian]