Bowler KILLED after being hit in the head by cricket ball in India during match

A cricketer has died on the spot after a batsman’s ferocious shot hit him on the head during a match in India.

Shocking footage filmed by a spectator shows the tragedy unfolding on the pitch in the Raj Nagar Extension, in Ghaziabad, in India’s Uttar Pradesh region, on April 8. 

After the fast bowler runs in for his delivery, the batsman connects well with the ball, hitting it straight back towards the bowler. 

It is too fast for him to take evasive action and the ball strikes him directly on the head. 

The impact causes him to fall straight to the ground. An onlooker shrieks in horror as players rush to the player’s aid but he dies on the spot.  

A cricket player has died on the spot after a batsman hit his head with a ball during a match in India

His death is not the first on-field tragedy. 

In November 2014, Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was killed when he was struck on the neck by a ball. 

Hughes, 25, was hit by a bouncer while batting in a Sheffield Shield match for South Australia in Sydney, and later died in hospital as a result of his injuries. 

The subsequent investigation made a number of recommendations, some of which had already been implemented, in order to improve the safety of players on the field.

In November 2014, Australian batsman Phillip Hughes was killed when he was struck on the neck by a ball. Here he celebrates scoring a century for his country in a 2009 Test match in South Africa

Close-fielders and wicketkeepers standing up at the stumps were advised to wear protective head-gear as a matter of course, although this does not apply to players in the slips.

The report also stated that players and coaching staff should wear helmets at all times when practising in the nets against fast bowlers or bowling machines.

It also said  that a defibrillator should be available at all first-class matches in case medical staff need to deal with cardiac incidents.