Cricketer Zubair Ahmed dies on field after being hit by a bouncer

What's the story?

Pakistan cricketer Zubair Ahmed died on the field after a bouncer hit him straight on the head during a club match hosted in Mardan on August 14.

The Pakistan Cricket Board shared the news of his tragic demise on Twitter and reminded all cricketers to use a helmet across all forms of the game without fail.

The tweet:

Tragic death of Zubair Ahmed is another reminder that safety gear i.e. helmet must be worn at all times. Our sympathies with Zubair's family pic.twitter.com/ZNmWDYaT5w

— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) August 16, 2017

In case you didn't know...

Young Australian cricketer Phil Hughes suffered a similar, tragic death 3 years ago. A bouncer hit him on the head in what eventually turned out to be a fatal blow during the afternoon session of the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground on November 25, 2014.

Rules around wearing protective headgear while batting have been made more stringent since the incident.

The details

Ahmed's tragic death poses another example of why it is extremely important to take safety seriously while playing the game at any level. In one of his four matches for the Quetta Bears, Ahmed had scored an unbeaten 111 in a Twenty20 match back in 2014.

Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones took to Twitter expressed his condolences to the youngster and his family. His tweet read:

Its so sad to hear.. Young Cricketer Zubair died in Mardan after Cricket ball hit on head during Cricket match. Condolences to his family?

— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) August 16, 2017

Australian opening batsman David Warner was rushed off the field yesterday after sustaining a head-injury after being hit by a bouncer during an intra-squad practice match. The bowler in that instance was Josh Hazlewood.

Appearing visibly hurt, Warner took his helmet off and rushed to the pavilion, leaving his bat behind. Reports suggest that the left-handed batsman suffered a concussion.

Author's Take

Any incident of death on the cricket field is always tragic. However, it is important that the cricketing world takes its lessons from these unfortunate occurences to avoid repeating them in the future.

Stricter rules need to be implemented with respect to the safety of the batsmen, bowlers, fielders and officials on the field.

The incident cannot be brushed aside as a rare incident anymore: this is the third time in this century that a ball hitting the batsman on the head has resulted in his death.

No sport can ever be 100% safe, but when multiple instances are taking place repeatedly, it is vital for world cricket and media to devote their attention to the problem. It is time for ICC to find a solution to this so as to reduce the risk of players sustaining fatal injuries by a considerable margin.