26-year-old Writam Porel was struck on the neck while fielding at forward short leg for East Bengal Cricket Club in the final of the AN Ghosh Trophy against Bhowanipore on Friday. A sense of fear, all too familiar after the recent losses of lives on cricket fields, prevailed in the chilly morning air of the Eden Gardens, as the cricketer was taken to a hospital.
Porel collapsed after being struck by a fierce shot by Prinan Dutta of Bhowanipore. He managed to trudge off the field, and was immediately admitted to the Nightingale Nursing Home. MRI scans have been done on him and sources from the nursing home have confirmed that the cricketer is out of danger. He, however, has not been released yet, being kept for further observations.
The left-handed top order batsman has been playing club cricket in Bengal for many years, and has played 10 first class matches for Bengal. Picked up as an exciting talent in 2010, Porel has not found his way into the state’s playing XI since 2012, but is a high-profile cricketer for East Bengal, one of the most reputed cricket clubs in the state.
Followers of Bengal cricket have terrible memory associations with Nightingale Hospital, where Porel is currently admitted. In April this year, cricketer Ankit Kesri had been shifted from the AMRI to the hospital after it had been assumed that his life was out of danger. Kesri had later passed away, as hospitals and club authorities played the blame game in the wake of his death.
Kesri had also plied his trade for East Bengal Cricket Club. It is hoped that Porel’s injury is not as grave as the one which took Kesri’s life, and that he will soon be released.
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