17-year old Rafiqul Islam dies while umpiring after being hit by the ball

The death toll due to accidents on the cricket field continues to be on the rise as yet another case of casualty emerged from Dhaka, Bangladesh. 17-year-old, Rafiqul Islam, was declared dead at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital late Friday as he faced the brunt of the hardball while umpiring a cricket match.

Rafiqul Islam was declared dead at the hospital on Friday after he was rushed there in a critical condition following the incident at Balur Math ground in Bangladesh’s capital.

“A group of youths were playing cricket in the field and the boy was the umpire. He collapsed on the field after a ball hit him in the chest,” reported local police chief Enamul Haque according to AFP.

“He is from a very poor family. His father is a rickshaw-puller and mother works as a housemaid. They buried him last night,” further added Enamul Haque.

It is only a few years back, Australian batsman Phillip Hughes was killed by a bouncer from Sean Abbott during a domestic match. The unfortunate death of young Hughes shocked the entire cricketing community as condolences poured in for the southpaw from all corners of the globe,

With that, an increased amount of focus was generated on players’ safety as helmets started to sport extra protection onto the rear side. In this day and age of the sport, with batsman showing no mercy on the bowlers, umpires sporting helmets and protective shields is not a matter of surprise.

During the Big Bash League, the spectators and even the umpires use helmets to keep themselves away from the firing line. Recently, Virat Kohli almost took down the Sri Lankan umpire Chaminda Hathurusingha with one of his shot. A Sri Lankan fielder also endangered Nigel Llong with one of his throws in the recent match against Pakistan.