WATCH: When James Anderson Broke Daniel Flynn's Teeth

As much as cricket is an elite sport making up for great entertainment and leisure, it can be quite dangerous as well. One of the things that make cricket an elite sport is the number of equipment needed before even the play is started. 

A batter has to wear pads, thigh pads, guard, gloves, and helmet to mention the least before going out to face a ball that is made of hard leather being thrown at nearly 140 kmphs on an average. 

Despite such equipment, it doesn't mean that batters are 100% safe. There are several incidents that have taken place - some even fatal - on the field. It is dangerous out there and if the player doesn't react well, things might get complicated. 

In one such incident in 2008, James Anderson once broke the teeth of New Zealand batter Daniel Flynn in a test match at Old Trafford. In the first inning, Flynn, playing his only 2nd test match, came out to bat at number six. 

Anderson was in a great spell where he had got the wicket of Jamie How. Anderson was bowling fast and aggressively. Flynn was only facing his 13th ball when a James Anderson bouncer smacked him in his face. The ball went through the helmet grill and crashed straight into Flynn's mouth. 

The Kiwi batter immediately sat on the ground and the one angle of the camera focused on a mouth that was full of blood. The players rushed towards Flynn and so did the physios. When he got up with a bloody mouth, he had lost his left front tooth and cracked one of his lower teeth. 

He was immediately taken to the hospital where several he was scanned by the neurosurgeon, who said that there were no signs of concussion and Flynn had only lost teeth and nothing else happened to the body. 

"He's had a scan and that was all-clear and that's the main thing, so he's got no damage."

Flynn was ready to bat post the lunch session when he began vomiting again and was taken to the hospital, again. Throughout the night Flynn was vomiting and nausea. 

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However, Anderson was unmoved by the incident and said: "It's just one of those things. I'm trying to get him out and I want to make it as uncomfortable for him as possible. I've hit people on the head before but never had teeth to show for it."