Former England batsman Alex Hales will remember The Hundred for the wrong reasons after being hit in the groin by a cricket ball twice in the same over on Monday night. 

Hales was hit straight between the legs as he opened the batting after Oval Invincibles' Reece Topley bowled a mid-length delivery and it hit him straight in the 'unmentionables'.  

The 32-year-old let out an audible groan after the unfortunate incident and just fell face first into the turf as laughter ran out around the ground. 

Even umpire Nigel Long struggled to disguise his mirth after the same thing happened again moments later. 

Replays showed the ball struck him squarely between the legs, but the 32-year-old managed to grit his teeth and get on with it after a brief pause in play.

"That has nailed him in the gooly wooly woolies," said Sky Sports commentator Ebony Rainford-Brent. "That is painful. 

"Are you alright Daren? You look like you're in as much pain as he is.

"That is the woolies."

Seconds later she added: "Oh no, absolute nightmare, absolute nightmare.

"He's done that to himself!

"I've never seen this in the 25 years of being around this game."

"He's bowled the same ball," her co-commentator Daren Sammy said. "This time I've got to laugh at this."

Essex bowler Sam Cook, a teammate of Hales at Trent Rockets, later joked the batsman was still 'rolling around' in agony after his innings of 25.  

“I think Alex Hales is still rolling around in the changing room," he said.

"To get one in that area is bad enough but to get two in a row is tough.

"He’s talking to us with a high voice!”

Thankfully, the Nottinghamshire batter was still able to see the funny side, as he took to social media to thank supporters for their concern. 

"Appreciate all the messages of concern after last night," Hales wrote on Twitter.

"It’s great to know that my well-being was at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts and that no one found it funny in the slightest!

"Unfortunately it’s worst-case scenario today with minimal swelling and maximal pain."

Alex Hales thanked cricket fans for their concern

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