11 Cricketers who miraculously escaped death

Cricket is often associated with brutalities or injuries on the field. But the harsh nature of life has not kept itself away from the cricketers too. While some cricketers have lost their life on the field, there have been others who have been seriously injured on the ground. Some have fought hard with adversities while some like Raymond van Schoor and Phil Hughes have lost their battle with life recently. The history of cricketers also has a lot of brave warriors who have escaped deaths and major life threats overcoming them by the power of their will. Here is a list of 10 such cricketers who escaped death 1. Muttiah Muralitharan – Tsunami: Muttiah Muralitharan. (© WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) A devastating Tsunami hit the coast of the Indian subcontinent and took many lives particularly in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu (India). While the Indian cricketers were largely safe during nature’s attack, one of the Sri Lankan player, Muttiah Muralitharan, had a close shave with the waves. The worst affected area in Sri Lanka was Galle, where even the cricket ground got washed away. Murali was lucky to have escaped the waves as he was supposed to attend a children’s charity function at Galle. Muralitharan, accompanied by his brother, mother and fiancee, were on the way to Galle when they were asked to turn and head back to Colombo as the waves began to rise. But 50 children who were travelling by bus to attend the charity function were washed away into the sea and are presumed dead. 2. Michael Clarke – Skin Cancer: Michael Clarke. (Photo Source: Getty Images) In the year 2006, former Australian captain, Michael Clarke had a near escape with the deadly disease of cancer. Australia, a country which is prone to skin cancer, had found its way to Michael Clarke too. Two patches on Clarke’s face were found to be affected by cancerous tissues. The Aussie then had to undergo the treatment. There were no further problems after the treatment, but the Pup since then started donning the cropped hair look and also started wearing the round hats to protect his face a bit more. 3. Dinesh Chandimal – Tsunami: Dinesh Chandimal. (Photo Soure: ICC) Sri Lanka batsman Dinesh Chandimal is a survivor of the deadly Tsunami that struck the Sri Lankan coasts in 2004. The monster wave that hit the island nation in 2004, took his home, his cricket kits and everything else the family had along with it. Chandimal’s family was left wretched. Instead of lamenting over what has come to pass, they relished the fact that it didn’t suffer any casualties. Chandimal was lucky to have survived the scare and went on to pursue his cricketing dreams after the devastating event. 4. Andrew Flintoff – Drowning in the Caribbean: Andrew Flintoff. (© Getty Images) During the 2007 World Cup, Andrew Flintoff got drunk with some of his teammates before an important game. Flintoff, who was known for his binge drinking escapades, had nearly drowned when the boat carrying them capsized. In a 2014 episode of 8 out of 10 cats, he claimed that he was attempting to sail home in a pedalo. He stated that he awoke on a beach – the worst place he had ever slept. He lost his position as vice-captain in the World Cup and was fined, but remained as a member of the team. This incident was later called as the ‘Fredalo’ incident. 5. Matthew Wade – Testicular Cancer: Matthew Wade. (© Getty Images) Unlike the other players who have battled cancer, Australian player Matthew Wade was diagnosed with the serious form of cancer even before he became a professional cricketer. At the early age of 16, he was hit in the groin during a game of football. It was due to that injury on the field that the doctors found that Wade had testicular cancer. He was successfully treated for it and debuted for Australia in 2011. 6. Geoffrey Boycott – Throat Cancer: Geoffrey Boycott. (© Getty Images) The former English player, who is more popularly known for his classy commentary, had a rough phase in his life as it played a dirty trick on him. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003 during India’s tour to England. The disease forced him to stop his favourite job, as a commentator, for over a year. In this phase, he underwent 35 radiotherapy sessions and was finally fit again. A year later, he was back in the commentary box and hasn’t looked back since. 7. Jesse Ryder – Coma: Black Caps Jesse Ryder. (© Getty Images) In 2013, Ryder was in a critical condition at Christchurch Hospital after being assaulted outside the Aikman’s Bar in Christchurch. It was then reported that 4 men were involved in the attack, which spread from the bar into the carpark of the McDonald’s restaurant across the street. He suffered a fractured skull and a collapsed lung and was in a medically induced coma. However, doctors subsequently announced that his skull had not been fractured. In about a month’s time, two men were charged with the assault, and Ryder was moved out of intensive care. 8. Wasim Akram – Attacked by Gunman: Wasim Akram. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Pakistani cricket legend Wasim Akram escaped unhurt when a gunman opened fire at his car in Karachi after a traffic collision, the player said. Akram, one of the best left-arm fast bowlers to ever play the game, was on his way to coach at a training camp at the city’s National Stadium when the incident happened. “A car hit mine, I stopped him and then this guy stepped out and fired at my car,” quoted Akram after the incident. However, he had a close shave as the matter was soon sorted out by the officials. 9. Yuvraj Singh – Lung Cancer: (Photo Source: idioticminds.com) Just after becoming India’s hero in the World Cup winning campaign in 2011, it emerged that Yuvraj Singh was battling with cancer. Yuvraj had respiratory difficulties throughout 2011 and in May after the World Cup, he withdrew from the ODI series in the West Indies due to the illness. His issues began with breathing difficulties, nausea and bouts of vomiting blood before India’s successful run through the 2011 World Cup, which he ended as the player of the tournament. He was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor stage-1 in his left lung and underwent chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston, USA as well as the Indiana University Melvin & Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was cared for by famed oncologist Dr. Lawrence Einhorn. The cricketer beat the disease and made a remarkable comeback to the national squad. 10. Sri Lankan Team – Terrorist attack: Sri Lankan cricketers. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) 12 Gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in 2009. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the 2nd Test against Pakistan. Six members of the Sri Lanka national cricket team were injured. Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed. Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana were hospitalised following the incident. While others had sustained minor injuries and shrapnel wounds. Samaraweera sustained shrapnel wounds to his thigh, and Paranavitana suffered wounds to his chest. Reserve umpire Ahsan Raza, who was travelling in a van for the umpires that was following the Sri Lankan team bus, was shot twice in the attack. 11. Rishabh Pant - Road Accident India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant met with a road accident while trying to avoid pothole on his way to Dehradun in a car. He survived closely and had to be dragged out of his car before it caught fire and burst into flames. Pant suffered two cuts in forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee, and also hurt his right wrist, ankle, toe. The cricketer also suffered abrasion injuries on his back. He was shifted to Max Hospital in Dehradun soon after his accident and underwent MRI scans to ascertain the extent of injuries. Rishabh Pant was then shifted to Mumbai where BCCI is known to have taken over his further treatment course. There is still no update on his recovery period as of now. 12. Nicholas Pooran Back in January 2015, the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter faced a fatal road accident in his hometown Trinidad. The incident happened when the cricketer was returning home after a training session, and en route, he was trying to overtake a car, which ultimately resulted in the vehicle skidding onto a sand heap. The car lost its balance, which is when another vehicle crashed into his car. The cricketer sustained multiple injuries, but returned to the cricket field shortly. Today, the left-hand batter is a vital cog of the Caribbean side, and is also seen plying his trade in franchise leagues around the world. He has also captained the West Indies, but stepped down following an unimpressive run at the T20 World Cup 2022.

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