Tragedy struck during a local cricket match in Pakistan on their Independence Day this August 14. Zubair Ahmed, who was reportedly not wearing a helmet while batting, got struck on his head by a bouncer delivery. That led to his death.
This happened in Mardan, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along Pakistan's international border with Afghanistan.
Ahmed's death recalls memories of the tragedy struck in 2014 with late Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes. With the former Australian batsman though, the case was different. Hughes was wearing a helmet but the ball struck his neck, causing subarachnoid haemorrhage (of the brain).
Zubair, playing for his club, clearly had no enforcement from the organisers and the officials about the need for wearing the helmet. This is not just the case in Pakistan but also around the world in events like gully cricket, incidents like this can happen at any point and there is nothing but utter negligence to blame.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Monday, did tweet the condolences to Zubair's family and asserted the need for cricketers to wear the helmet, at all times.
Zubair was a part of the Fakhar Zaman Cricket Academy.
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