Cricketers who left us too soon: Heart-wrenching moments in cricket that made us cry

7. Hansie Cronje (Age 32, South Africa)

One of South Africa’s finest players and captains in their cricket history along with being a hero in many people’s eyes, was often regarded as the template for young South African boys. Hansie Cronje could do it all, bat, bowl, field, and captain. An absolute match winner but at age 32, Hansie tragically died in a plane crash a few years after receiving a life ban for the match-fixing scandal that rocked the cricket world.

Speaking of his marvellous career, Cronje was in complete control of the South African team in the 1990s. His ODI and Test stats were very good and his calm composure was great at managing the team. What made him different to others was he always added something to the game. Whether it was his medium-pace bowling that fetched him over 100 wickets in ODIs or the fact that his winning stats as a captain were outstanding.

To add to all of this, he made over 5000 ODI runs and over 3700 test runs. His life came to a halt after he was found guilty of match-fixing. Hansie Cronje died in 2002 on a flight way back home, where the two pilots lost visibility in the clouds and eventually, the plane crashed.