Bangladesh cricket legend Tamin Iqbal is on life support having suffered a heart attacking during a match on Monday.
The 36-year-old, who enjoyed a brief spell at Essex in 2017, was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest while fielding during a Dhaka Premier League game.
Iqbal is said to have complained about chest pains shortly after the coin toss for his side Mohammedan Sporting Club’ encounter against Shinepukur Cricket Club.
Having still been issued by discomfort early into the match, he exited the field after just one over in the first innings to visit doctors at the KPJ Specialised Hospital and Nursing Home.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, match referee Debabrata Paul then described how Iqbal returned to the stadium.
But his condition worsened, leading him to be rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency angioplasty due to blockage in his arteries.
A medical bulletin from doctors read: “He returned to us in a critical condition.
“We can call it a heart attack, and we subsequently did an angiogram and angioplasty to remove the blockage.
“The medical procedure has gone smoothly. He is currently under observation.
“The swift coordination between the medical staff at BKSP and the hospital ensured Tamim was treated quickly.”
Meanwhile Bangladesh Cricket Board’s medical officer Debashis Chowdhury told AFP: “He suffered a heart attack.
“What I know so far is that his heart started to function better.”
Iqbal, who captained Bangladesh’s ODI side from 2020-2023, is his nation’s first cricket to score a century in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – doing so in 2016.
Across all forms of all international cricket, he scored over 15,000 runs from 391 appearances, before he called time on his career in January.
He featured in 70 Test matches between 2008-2023, where he notched up an impress centuries.
One of those centuries famously came against England in 2010, becoming the first and only Bangladeshi star to do so at Lord’s.
More to follow…
