Australia's Pat Cummins breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Dimuth Karunaratne was not in any danger after one of his vicious bouncers struck the Sri Lanka batsman on the back of the neck and left him crumpled in a heap at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
The 30-year-old opener slumped onto his back after being struck, prompting a hush to descend on the picturesque ground, which only moments before had been buzzing with horn-blowing, dancing Sri Lankan supporters.
The incident brought back painful memories of the fatal blow that struck Australian Phillip Hughes in 2014 and the concern among both sets of players was palpable.
The crowd gave a standing ovation to Karunaratne, who was forced to retire hurt on 46, and continued clapping until he was driven off the field in a buggy.
The incident appeared to rattle Sri Lanka, who went from 90 without loss to 120-3.
"Not quite sure but we lost a couple of wickets so definitely it was a bit of a distraction at that moment," Hathurusingha told reporters. "We were going well at 90 for no wicket and they were batting well."
The tourists trail Australia by 411 runs and must win the match to draw the two-test series after the hosts won the opener at Brisbane.
