For a sportsman, their game is the ultimate source of expression and inspiration. They spend most of their life on fields because it makes them have that sense of pleasure and life, that nothing else gives. Moreover, the sense of serving the mother land while playing gives an extra dimension to the feeling.
The passion is so great that sometimes they don’t care about their health and continue playing. Yuvraj Singh played cricket for a long time when he started seeing symptoms of cancer. Serena Williams played and won the tennis match despite being pregnant.
These are just a couple of cases out of many untalked and unheard. And if you say these were the most extreme things, sportsmen have done following their passion, you are wrong.
There’ve been quite many sportsmen especially cricketers who died while playing on the field. Today we are going to remember those legends. Let’s do it.
1. Wilf Slack: The English player used to face blackouts while playing hence he had a very short international career. In 1986 he played 3 test matches and 2 ODIs in which his performance was restricted by the same issue.
Following this, he had to leave the international cricket. One day in 1989 while he was playing domestic cricket, Slack collapsed and passed away. The cricketer was just 34 years old when he breathed his last.
Slack was buried in his prized England blazer and his bat was by his side.
2. Richard Beaumont: The cricketer died in August 2012 due to a heart attack while he was on the field. He had taken 5 wickets for just 31 runs from 12 overs in the same match and then sometime later suddenly he felt the heart attack.
Richard was immediately taken to the hospital where he was declared dead a few moments later.
3. Zulfiqar Bhatti: He was a young cricketer from Pakistan who got hit by the ball in the chest while batting during the Begum Khursheed Memorial T20 tournament in Sukkur, a district in Pakistan’s Sindh.
He was immediately taken to a civil hospital and was put on a ventilator but was declared as dead later.
Districts cricket secretary Ayaz Mehmood stated,
“It is sad news for us and everyone is shocked about his accidental death.”
He also added-
“The district administration has suspended sports activities throughout Sukkur district for three days as condolence.”
4. Darryn Randall: He was playing a match between Old Selbornians and Fore Hare University. The cricketer fell on the crease after being hit by the rising delivery on the side of his head. He was immediately taken to a hospital and died on 27 October 2013.
CSA Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat while talking about the unfortunate event stated-
“This is a very sad day, indeed. I would like to convey CSA’s deepest condolences on behalf of the South African cricketing family not just to his family and friends but also to all the players, umpires, clubs and everybody else who was present at this match.”
5. Phillip Hughes: The Australia based batsman was playing a Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales when he was hit on the head by a bouncer.
During the accident, his skull got fractured and suffered massive bleeding in the brain. He was operated in a Sydney hospital but died of the injuries two days later.
6. Raman Lamba: An Indian batsman, Raman Lamba played in 4 Tests and 32 ODIs for Indian national cricket team. Besides playing from the Indian side, he also represented Ireland in unofficial ODI matches.
Raman was hit on the head while fielding during a club match in Dhaka. He went into a coma three days later and was declared dead after some time.
7. Ian Folley: He was hit by the ball below the eye while batting for Whitehaven against Workington.
Folley was immediately taken to local hospital where he suffered a heart attack and died.
8. Abdul Aziz: Pakistan based wicket keeper and the opening batsman appeared in eight first-class matches for Karachi. He was hit over the heart by a slow off break from Dildwar Awan while he was batting against Pakistan Combined Services in the first-innings of the Quaid-e-Azam final.
Aziz fell to the ground and never regained consciousness when he had started to take stance for the next ball. He died on the way to the hospital on 17 January 1959. With a footnote explaining he was hurt but had died because of the impact, Abdul Aziz is recorded as “absent” in the second innings of the match.
9. Wasim Raja: The brother of famous Pakistani international player Ramiz Raja; Wasim was a part of the national cricket team of Pakistan during the period 1973-1985. He participated in 57 Test matches and 54 ODI matches for Pakistan.
While playing in August 2006 in a match in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, in England, as a part of the Surrey over-50s side, he had a heart attack, and thus, breathed his last.
10. Andy Ducat: England based Andy Ducat had a heart attack and died during a game at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
The match was immediately abandoned as a mark of respect for Ducat.
A Big Salute to all the legends.
