Cricket: Sickening head clash between teammates at a WBBL game

So much for cricket being a non-contact sport.

Usually you need to worry about getting hit in the head by the ball as a batsman or close-in fielder, but there are other dangers out there - like your fellow teammates.

The Brisbane Heat's Deandra Dottin and Laura Harris discovered that the most painful way imaginable, crashing into each other as they both attempted to field a ball near the boundary during their side's game against the Melbourne Stars at Brisbane's Allan Border Field on Tuesday.

The two converged as they tried to stop a ball hit out to mid-wicket from crossing the rope. They couldn't keep the Kookaburra in the field of play, and to make things worse, a sickening head clash saw both players tumble to the turf.

Dottin and Harris rolled around in obvious agony near the picket fence as players and staff came running to their aid. Harris was the first to recover it seemed, sitting up on her knees as a teammate and staffer examined her face.

Star West Indian recruit Dottin stayed down longer, and the commentator remarked she appeared to be having trouble with her shoulder. She was stretchered off the field and taken to hospital with a suspected concussion after the ugly collision, cricket.com.au reported.

Before that ball, the Stars were 0-72 in the 11th over. Australian captain Meg Lanning was unbeaten on 43 but moved to 47 when her airborne swat over the leg side pierced the gap and crossed the rope. She was eventually out for an even 50, and that was the start of the end for the Melbourne franchise, who fell six runs short of the 130 needed to win.

The tweakers came to the Heat's rescue. Indian off-spinner Smriti Mandhana nabbed 2-6 off two overs and Jemma Barsby also grabbed two wickets from her four overs.

The Stars were coasting, needing 42 from 47 deliveries with 10 wickets in hand, but lost 6-32 to fall behind the required run rate, finishing their 20 overs at 6-124.

Brisbane opener Beth Mooney was the home side's best with the bat, hitting four fours and a six in her 50-ball 55. First drop Jess Jonassen provided good support, scoring 32.