Cricket is a very funny game, as they say!! Funny, as it brings about a lot of twists and turns on the field when two teams battle it out to emerge victorious. The game of cricket has made the lives of many cricketers, and their journey to success has been inspiring!! However, there have been some very dreadful memories from the cricketing field where we have lost young lives. Yes, we are talking about those tragic incidents that happened on the cricketing field that resulted in the death of cricketers.
The emergence of good and sturdy helmets and protective gears has surely given more protection to the players. Having said this, there have been times when the destinies of certain cricketers have been written in bold letters, with their deaths related to the game that they have loved to play all their lives.
So here we at IWMBuzz.com list out the cricketers who encountered danger on the cricketing field, and ended up losing their lives.
There could have never been a freaky death than that faced by the young and flourishing English cricketer, Ian Folley. The right-handed batsman and a left-arm bowler, Folley followed his gut and changed into a spinner after starting his career as a medium pacer. While playing domestic cricket for Whitehaven, Folley was hit under his eye in a match against Workington. He was rushed to the hospital where he underwent a minor surgery to repair his perforated eyeballs. Bad luck struck hard when he suffered a heart attack when he was under anaesthesia. He was just thirty years old when he passed away.
Raman Lamba who has been a popular name in the Indian cricket was a prolific scorer and has been a great asset to Team India and the domestic teams he played for. He was known for his stylish batting display. Lamba was fielding for Abahani Krira Chakra in a game against Mohammaden Sporting, in Dhaka’s Premier League when he was called from the outfield to field at short leg. This is destiny!! Bowler Saifullah Khan bowled a relatively short ball and batsman Mehrab Hossain pulled it hard, hitting Lamba on his forehead with severe force. The ball rebounded and got back into play where the wicketkeeper caught it. Unfortunately, Lamba slipped into coma after he suffered an internal haemorrhage. Three days later, he succumbed and breathed his last. He was just 38 years old.
Wasim Raja the Pakistani cricketer and coach was playing in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England for the Surrey 50 overs side match. He suddenly suffered a heart attack while he was on the field. Raja was a dashing middle-order left-handed batsman. He told the person in the slips that he was feeling dizzy. When his teammates were trying to take him off the field, he collapsed on the boundary and died.
Darryn Randall the South African cricketer was a right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. He was playing a match in Alice, Eastern Cape when the ball hit his head while he attempted a pull shot. As soon as the impact of the ball happened on his head, he lost his life. He was just 32 years old.
The death of young and dashing player Phillip Hughes shook Australian Cricket very hard. Hughes was a popular name in the Australian Test and One-day teams. In a Sheffield Shield match that was being played on the Sydney Cricket Ground, Hughes was hit in the neck by a bouncer causing a vertebral artery dissection that lead to subarachnoid haemorrhage. Hughes underwent surgery and was put in an induced coma in the intensive care unit. He died three days before his 26th birthday.
Raymond van Schoor was Namibia’s most-capped played, with more than 200 appearances. He was a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. He died at the young age of 25. He was playing a CSA Provincial 50 Overs Challenge match against Free State at the Wanderers Cricket Ground, when he collapsed while batting. He suffered a stroke on the field of play.
Well, these are the tragedies that hit cricketers on the field of play that resulted in them losing their lives. The game of cricket will miss them forever!!
