Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has revealed he fractured his neck and sustained ligament damage while surfing in Queensland.
The 46-year-old, who retired from cricket in January 2009, posted two images on his Instagram account detailing the extent of the damage as he admitted he "dodged a bullet".
In the first image, which showed two major cuts to his forehead, Hayden said it was "game over for a few days" and he posted another picture on Sunday of him wearing a neck brace in which he said he had fractured a bone.
"Just wanted to say a big thank you to all our mates on Straddie who have been so supportive. Especially Ben and Sue Kelley for the fast diagnosis with MRI, CT scan," Hayden said.
"Fractured C6, torn C5, C4 ligaments safe to say I truly have dodged a bullet. Thank you everyone. On the road to recovery."
Hayden played in 103 Tests for Australia between 1994 and 2009 and sits fifth on his country's list for runs scored having accumulated 8,625.
