Cricket hit by yet another tragedy

Players and officials on the Ashdod pitch after the tragedy

In the coastal city of Ashdod, Israel, a cricket umpire has tragically passed away after being hit with a ball while officiating during a league game in Ben Gurion Park on Saturday. Just 2 days had passed since the tragic death of Australian Phillip Hughes and while the cricketing world was still in mourning, the news of this tragedy filtered through from Israel.

The official was taken to a hospital soon after the incident, but was pronounced dead. According to one of the Ashdod players, a fast delivery from the bowler came off the bat of the batsman, hit the wicket and then struck the umpire.

The umpire fell and apparently suffered a heart attack. Several of the players attempted to resuscitate him, taking telephonic instructions from the local MDA station, during the 10 minutes it took for the paramedics to arrive on the scene.

Kobi Weiss, a senior umpire who attended to the injured man said, "When I got to the pitch, I saw a man of about 50 who was unconscious. The people there said that he had been hit by the ball in the course of the match and collapsed.

"We immediately began resuscitation procedures, including medications. When his pulse returned and his condition stabilized a bit, he was taken to the hospital."

The Lachish police are investigating the incident, but are believed to have ruled out any suspicion of foul play.