Undoubtedly, cricket is a fun game. Since its inception, the game has recorded a number of fatal mishaps that ultimately proved to be life-threatening. There is a long list of players who succumbed quickly after the ball struck their head, chest, or any other delicate area that should have resulted in death.
Blackouts, heart attacks, and other types of injuries have caused a few people to pass away. Finally, it should be noted that one of the riskiest sports in the world is cricket. In a certain sense, taking many lives is not safer. It could be dangerous for a player to play without a quality helmet.
In major cases, bouncers became the reason why players died. As a result, the later-developed cricket rules prohibit the use of more than two bouncers to prevent serious injuries. Additionally, when the ball is coming at a high rate of speed, players must wear helmets.
Here are a few incidents that resulted in the deaths of cricket players, either as a result of the incident or a few days later as a result of injuries. Over twenty cases have been documented, but the top ten are severe cases.
Cricketers Who Died On the Field While Playing Cricket
1. Jasper Vinall
Jasper Vinall was the first cricketer to die on the field as a result of a game-related accident. He was accidentally struck on the forehead with a cricket bat on August 28, 1624, while playing at Horsted Keynes, and he passed away 13 days later. Vinall, a fielder, was struck in the head by a batsman who tried to hit the ball twice to avoid being caught. Vinall is the first cricketer to pass away in history as a result.
2. James son of James Balchen
The second cricketer to pass away while playing cricket on the field was James son of James Balchen. After being killed in England by a cricket ball, he was laid to rest on June 14, 1764. However, precise data on this player is not available.
3. Frederick, Prince of Wales
The third cricket player fatality occurred, and it was the Prince of Wales, Frederick. At the age of 44, Frederick passed away on March 31, 1751. The preferred explanation today is a pulmonary embolism, which was once thought to be brought on by contact with a real tennis ball or cricket ball and resulted in a burst lung abscess. He was buried at Westminster Abbey on April 13, 1751. His absence from the British throne makes him the most recent Prince of Wales.
Cricket had become the country’s most popular team sport by the time Frederick arrived, and it thrived on gambling. He first became interested in cricket for academic purposes before turning into a true enthusiast.
4. George Summers
George Summers was a cricketer from England. Throughout his entire first-class career, he represented Nottinghamshire. During a match against MMC at Lords in 1870, Summers was struck by a short delivery from the fast bowler John Platts. He had to be carried off the field. George Summers passed away four days later.
5. Zulfiqar Bhatti
Zulfiqar Bhatti was the future and rising star of Pakistan cricket. He passed away as a result of a rising ball striking his chest. He either passed away there or in the hospital, but it is never mentioned. Zulfiqar passed away when he was 22 years old. The internet doesn’t have a lot of information about him.
6. Ankit Keshri
Ankit was a right-handed Indian batsman for Bengal. He participated in numerous domestic games despite never having played on the international stage. During a game, he rushed to make a high catch, but Sourav also rushed to make catches, confusing them and colliding with each other. Ankit, who collapsed on the ground bleeding from the mouth, did not experience a typical accident on the cricket field. He was given hospital admission right away and died while receiving care.
7. Abdul Aziz
Abdul Aziz was the first first-class opening and wicket keeping batsman in Karachi and played eight first-class matches in his cricketing career. He attends S.M. College and works for Pakistan State Bank in his personal life.
Aziz passed away as a result of a slow off-break delivery striking his heart severely enough to kill him. Dildwar Awan, who was batting in the Quaid e Azam Trophy final’s opening inning, bowled the delivery. When he fell to the ground on the field, he was trying to get ready for the next ball. The road to the hospital was still being traveled when he passed away.
Doctors concluded that the hard blow to the chest had aggravated his undiagnosed heart condition. When a ball strikes someone in the chest, the damage that can result is the worst.
8. Darryn Randall
Darryn Randall, a South African cricketer, represented numerous provincial youth teams and also coached the famous cricket academy at Stirling Primary School. He was only 32 years old when he began competing in the Premier League. Darryn was a right-handed batsman who represented first-class cricket in South Africa while playing for the border.
During a match between Old Selborneians and Fort Hare University, he experienced death. He was reportedly taken to the hospital immediately but passed away en route. One of the most legendary cricketers to pass away during a game.
9. Raman Lamba
Raman was an Indian cricketer and played 4 test matches and 32 ODIs for the Indian Cricket Team. He played cricket for India. He made his Australian League debut in 1986 for India and was one of the most well-known cricketers of his time. After suffering a 2-day coma attack, he died at the age of 23 from an internal hemorrhage while competing in the Bangladesh Cricket League. For the Indian team, Rama’s passing was tragic, and cricket fans will always remember him.
10. Phillips Hughes
Phillips was a young left-handed opening Australian cricketer. He has participated in domestic cricket for South Australia and Worcestershire. He represented Australia’s bright future, but events didn’t turn out the way we had anticipated. On November 25, 2014, a bouncer hit him. He broke his neck during a game at Sydney Cricket Ground, was taken to the hospital, and sadly, after two days in a coma, he passed away.
