Cricket is one of the elite games loved by fans from all over the world. But other than that, there is one more side of the game that is very gloomy. Witnessed many severe and heart_wrenching injuries and accidents on the field. A few instances in which the player died due to a ball pounding over their head or any other body part, while some died of natural causes. Although various safety measures took while playing, the game has tragically ended up snatching away the lives of some players. Here are the names of a few cricketers who died of injuries on the field.
1. Philip Joel Hughes
Hughes was an Australian opening batsman who played domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire. Having played Tests and ODIs for his International team at a tender age, he transpired to be an upcoming Australian star. During a Sheffield Match between South Australia and New South Wales at Sydney Cricket Ground on 25th November in 2014, Sean Abbott’s bouncer hit his neck and left him unconscious on the field. He had suffered vertebral artery dissection that led to a fatal brain hemorrhage. He succumbed to his injuries on 27th November 2014, just three days before his 26th birthday. It gets termed as one of the rarest and the deadliest accidents in sports history.
2. Raman Lamba
Raman Lamba was a famous player in Bangladesh’s Dhaka Premier League and represented Ireland in unofficial ODI matches. He has a vibrant domestic history. He had played 4 Tests and 32 ODIs for India and had an average performance. In 1998, during an ongoing league match in Dhaka, the ball thrown by Mehrab Hossain struck his temple. He suffered severe brain injuries that led him to a coma and died after three days on 23rd February 1998.
3. Wasim Raja
Wasim Raja was a British Pakistani schoolteacher, a cricketer, coach, and referee, was the brother of Ramiz Raja, a renowned Pakistani Commentator. He represented Pakistan in 57 Test matches and 54 ODIs for the Pakistan International Cricket team from 1973-1985. He was an attacking left-handed batsman who could bowl wrist spin. A sudden heart attack on the cricket field led to his demise.
4. Richard Beaumont
Beaumont was an English club cricketer, primarily a pacer. On 5th August 2012, he took his five wickets to haul against Astwood Bank Cricket Club; it was supposed to be a hit until he suffered a heart attack and collapsed. Took him to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital; he was declared dead shortly after his arrival.
5. Ian Folley
Ian Folley was an English cricketer, a right-hand batsman, and a left-handed spinner who took 287 wickets in first-class cricket. The ball hit underneath his eye while batting for Whitehaven Cricket Club against Workington in 1993; he was undergoing eyeball surgery when he died of a heart attack that he suffered amidst anesthesia.
6. Darryn Randall
Randall was a first-class right-handed batsman, wicket-keeper South African cricketer who played for Border during the 2009-2010 session. He died during an ongoing Premier League match in South Africa after the player tried hitting the ball for a pull shot, but it hit the side of his head. And, he fell on the crease, unconscious. He was immediately driven to the hospital but could not save him.
7. Wilf Slack
Wilf Slacks’ death was a peculiar one. Slack was a county cricketer and represented Middlesex. He played two ODIs and three matches in the England Jersey. In 1988 he suffered four blackouts during practice sessions, and in 1989 he collapsed out of the blue while batting and was driven to the hospital, where he breathed his last breath. He died in the Gambia at the age of thirty-four. However, the cause of the death remains elusive, although a heart attack gets reported in the post mortem report.
8. Ankit Keshri
Former Bengal U-19 captain and a promising opener died in 2015 after a collision with his teammate Mondal during a knockout game. As he went for a catch, he crashed into Mondal, suffering a head injury. Even after three days of continuous treatment, he could not be saved and died of Cardiac Arrest in the hospital.
9. Abdul Aziz
Abdul Aziz was a Pakistani first-class cricketer and occasional wicket-keeper who played eight first-class matches before his death. Aziz died while batting during the final of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy after the ball hit his heart, and he fell on the ground while preparing for the next delivery. Abdul died on his way to the hospital. Abdul looks upon as an upcoming star, but things didn’t go well for him, and he passed away at the age of seventeen.
10. Raymon Van Schoor
The school was a Namibian right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. He played 92 first-class games and represented his side in international cricket for more than 200 games. The young cricketer suffered a stroke and collapsed while batting against Free state. He made his international debut at the age of 17 and scored 8,000 runs in 200 games for his side in all formats.
