CRICKET star Ben McKinney was forced to miss a week of action – after injuring himself waiting for a LIFT.
Ben McKinney, 20, sat out a county championship match against Hampshire with back spasms earlier this month.
GettyBen McKinney has opened up on a bizarre injury he sustained earlier this year[/caption]
GettyThe 20-year-old used to a midfielder in Sunderland’s youth setup[/caption]
The 6ft7 opening batsman is a former footballer in Sunderland‘s academy.
But despite being a natural sportsman, his body let him down in the most bizarre fashion.
McKinney told The Telegraph: “I had a heavy bag on my shoulder and bent down to press the button.
“My back went into spasm and that was it.”
Durham star McKinney is the latest youngster seemingly destined for the England setup.
He captained the England under-19 side and has enjoyed two tours with the Lions to South Africa and Australia.
McKinney penned a two-year extension in the North East in January.
And he credits England legend Andrew Flintoff with helping him improve his game over recent months.
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McKinney added: “Freddie spoke to me about self confidence and presence.
“I used to actually be quite a small presence at the crease in terms of posture and body language.
“The big thing I got from him was, actually, yeah, I’m at the crease now, and no one’s gonna get me out and I’m gonna try and bully the bowler.
“It’s not a disrespectful thing to anyone. It’s just that self confidence. It does help. I’m quite the opposite person off the field.”
McKinney was on the books at Sunderland as a teenager, before having to make a choice between football and cricket.
He added: “I was, to be fair to myself, a decent footballer, but it’s obviously really hard to break through.
“I’m not saying it’s not hard to crack cricket, but the chances and the amount of people that play football make it tough.
“And, you know, there’s people that loved it [football] more than me as well. Cricket was always the number one for me.”
McKinney is a boyhood Sunderland fan but was unable to make this month’s Championship playoff final against Sheffield United.
The Black Cats returned to the Premier League after a last-minute comeback win over the Blades at Wembley.
He continued: “I was already out so was able to watch the play-off final [on the TV in the dressing room].
“One of the only occasions I’ve been glad to be out.”
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