DARWIN: Australian vice-captain David Warner is expected to be fit for the upcoming Bangladesh tour after retiring hurt when he was struck in the neck by a bouncer during a warm-up match.

The opener was hit by a Josh Hazelwood delivery in a chilling blow Tuesday that saw him drop to his knees and let go of his bat, with skipper Steve Smith rushing from slips to check on his deputy.

Appearing shaken, Warner removed his helmet and immediately walked off the field leaving his bat behind.

Cricket Australia’s news site cricket.com.au said the fiery left-hander had passed a concussion test and would be available for the tour of Bangladesh, but would sit out the rest of the intra-squad match in Darwin, Australia’s Northern Territory.

“It’s good that Davey’s fine,” Aussie pacemen Pat Cummins said after close of play on Tuesday. “He’s a little bit stiff and sore, but just speaking to him then, he’s all fine.”

A focus on player safety has been heightened since the tragic death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.

Hughes, who played 26 Tests, died from bleeding on the brain in November 2014 after being hit on the base of the skull by a rising ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground during a domestic match.

The Australian squad flies to Dhaka on Friday for the two-Test tour which begins on Aug 27.

Head coach Darren Lehmann expected Warner to board the flight.

“He seems alright, walking around the ground today, so fingers crossed he’ll be okay and we’ll get an update in the next day or two,” Lehmann told reporters. “It’s always a scare when that happens, isn’t it? Hopefully he’s going to be OK.”

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2017