Mennie suffers 'minor brain bleed' after head hit

Australian fast bowler Joe Mennie has been admitted to hospital with a bleed on the brain after being struck on the head by a ball while he was bowling at Sydney Sixers training on Monday.

"After being struck on the head by a ball at training on Monday, Joe was transported to a hospital in Brisbane where he underwent a series of check-ups before being discharged later that evening," Cricket Australia chief medical officer Dr John Orchard said.

"Joe was reviewed by a Cricket Australia doctor on Tuesday and had some scans performed that revealed a small fracture and associated minor brain bleed. Whilst this is a serious injury, Joe is feeling well. We believe that this is a stable injury and will not require surgery.

"As a precautionary measure, Joe has been admitted to hospital for observation and will continue to be assessed by a neurosurgeon to determine best course of action."

Sixers wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had originally believed Mennie had escaped serious injury, telling Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday that Mennie would be available for selection for Wednesday night's semi-final against Brisbane Heat. Mennie has since been ruled out of the match.

"It was a bit of a scary incident actually," Haddin said at the time. "He was bowling in the nets and Michael Lumb got hold of one straight back and he's followed through and got him in the head. It was a bit uncomfortable for a couple of minutes but lucky Joe's all right.

Mennie had played two matches for the Sixers during this BBL campaign. Earlier in the summer, he made his Test debut for Australia in Hobart against South Africa, having also made his ODI debut on the tour of South Africa in October.