The Post

Serious head injury to commentato­r

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Leading New Zealand cricket commentato­r Bryan Waddle has revealed he suffered a serious head injury while holidaying in Hawaii that has taken him months to recover from.

Waddle told New Zealand Herald of his holiday hell that left him thinking he might be on the edge of death. Even three months on he says he was still feeling the effects of the problem that left him with serious concussion issues.

Waddle, 68, lost his sight in one eye for weeks on end and even needed a handrail to be installed in his Wellington home to ensure he did not suffer further damage if he fell down the stairs.

He has little recollecti­on of the accident which happened on July 11 and was believed to have occurred after he got up to get a drink on a hot night.

‘‘I assume I got out to have a drink of water because there was water on the table beside where they picked me up from,’’ he said.

His wife and daughter heard a loud crash and found him lying unconsciou­s.

Waddle was taken by ambulance to Queen’s Medical Center hospital, where he was in an out of consciousn­ess for about 48 hours.

He spent 10 days in hospital while undergoing numerous tests and MRI scans before he was released and allowed to fly home. His return to New Zealand was followed by ongoing headaches and fatigue as he battled to overcome the symptoms of concussion.

However, his vision returned to normal about a month ago and he was back in the commentary box last week for the opening round of Plunket Shield at the Basin Reserve where Wellington beat Auckland.

He now says he was ‘‘up and ready to go’’ to call the first test between New Zealand and the West Indies at the Basin Reserve starting December 1.

 ??  ?? Bryan Waddle was back in the commentary box last week.
Bryan Waddle was back in the commentary box last week.

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