17-year-old Bangladeshi passes away after being struck by cricket ball

What's the story?

The game of cricket has always been associated with tranquility and calm, however, of late, there have been several disturbing incidents that have occurred both on and off the field (Ben Stokes, I am looking at you).

In what is a devastating piece of news, a 17-year-old boy in Bangladesh has passed away after being struck by a ball whilst acting as an umpire in a local match. The incident occurred in Dhaka on Friday.

In case you didn't know...

The boy in question, Rafiqul Islam, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition following the incident but succumbed to his injuries late Friday night, according to reports.

The heart of the matter

The teenager, along with a group of his friends, was taking part in a friendly game in the neighborhood's Balur Math ground. He was struck square on the chest, following which he collapsed and had to be rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

"A group of youths was playing cricket in the field and the boy was the umpire. He collapsed on the field after a ball hit him in the chest," local police chief Enamul Haque stated, before further adding, "He is from a very poor family. His father is a rickshaw-puller and mother works as a housemaid. They buried him last night."

Parallels from history

Just three years ago, Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was struck by a bouncer delivered by Sean Abbott in a Sheffield Shield game following which he collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital where he eventually succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, just two days after the Hughes incident, Hillel Awaskar, an umpire, was killed during a match after being struck near the head by a ball.

Author's take

It is extremely sad to hear of someone being robbed of their life so young. Who knows, the youngster may even have gotten to represent his nation in the future. While this did happen in a local ground where safety is not a priority, it still raises questions as to the safety of umpires in a cricket match.