Watch Video: English cricketer suffers horrific accident as ball hits head and bounces off

Even as the governing bodies of the game are working with the aid of technological advancements to prevent injuries on the field, instances of horrific accidents have shakenthe world with alarming frequency.

In one such accident, English cricketer Luke Fletcher, who was playing for Nottinghamshire in Birmingham on Saturday, July 8, was hit on the head, after which he fell on the pitch in pain.

Warwickshire aka Birmingham Bears' batsman Sam Hain greeted the 28-year-old, who had just bowled his first ball of the match, with a flat-batted slap. Fletcher, in his follow through, did not have enough time to react and the ball hit his head before bouncing off.

The umpires and the players were quick to react as they immediately signalled for medical attention. Fletcher though was able to walk off the ground before he was taken to a hospital in Birmingham.

The impact of the accident was such that Fletcher's teammates and his opponents were stunned in horror. Nottinghamshire's Samit Patel was reportedly left in tears when his teammate was receiving medical attention.

The T20 game was interrupted briefly before Warwickshire resumed their successful chase of 158. The Edgbaston crowd reportedly applauded the players' gesture to temporarily leave the field after the accident.

While the cricket fraternity was praying for the well-being of the Fletcher, his teammate and England national team bowler Jake Ball tweeted a photo of the fast bowler, who seemed to be doing well at the hospital.

A few hours later, Fletcher himself took to Twitter to thanks fans who had prayed for his recovery. He also congratulated the Bears for winning Saturday's encounter.

Andrew Flintoff, who was at the Edgbaston commentary box, expressed his relief after taking note of Fletcher's tweet.

After Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was fatally hit on the head in November 2014, a lot of focus is being given to players' safety. The International Cricket Council has come up with quite a lot of changes to safety guidelines and we are even seeing umpires on the field donning safety equipment to avoid being hit.