The hidden strain

A growing number of medical emergencies involving players, officials and support staff has exposed uncomfortable gaps in Bangladesh cricket’s duty-of-care framework, raising urgent questions about whether the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is doing enough to protect those working under increasingly demanding conditions.

The warning signs have been stark and, increasingly, impossible to ignore.

During the Sylhet leg of the Bashundhara Cement Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki collapsed after complaining of chest pain and later died in hospital. He was 59. His sudden death sent a chill through the domestic cricket circuit, particularly among match officials and support staff who share similar working conditions but far less visibility.

Days later, as the Dhaka phase of the BPL began, official scorer Shawkat Hossain was rushed to hospital after experiencing chest pain while on duty. He remains under medical treatment.

The concern escalated further when former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal suffered a heart attack while leading Mohammedan Sporting Club in a Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL) match at BKSP. Tamim collapsed shortly after the toss and required emergency medical intervention, including CPR, before undergoing angioplasty surgery. Though he has since been discharged, the incident sent shockwaves through the cricket community.

Taken together, the cases cut across roles, status and competitions — from an international icon to domestic officials — making it increasingly difficult to dismiss them as isolated or coincidental.

Similar alarms had already been sounded last year. Umpires Gazi Sohel and Mahfuzur Rahman Litu were hospitalised after falling ill during DPL matches, with extreme heat widely cited as a contributing factor. Those incidents, too, raised concerns about long hours in harsh conditions, limited recovery time and inadequate on-ground medical preparedness.

The common thread running through these episodes is prolonged exposure to physical strain, mental stress and heavy workloads, often without structured medical oversight. Match officials, scorers and support staff routinely work back-to-back fixtures, arriving early and leaving late, sometimes for weeks at a stretch. Unlike players, many do so without access to regular health screening, workload management or recovery protocols.

“Look at everyone’s faces,” one official said, describing the atmosphere around domestic matches. “Everyone is stressed. People are working under serious physical and mental pressure. Many are dealing with personal and financial issues. Most of them are underpaid. And they have to keep working through that pressure.”

Another official, who witnessed Mahbub Ali Zaki’s collapse at the Sylhet International Stadium, spoke candidly about the lack of emergency preparedness at venues.

“We have ambulances at the ground, yes,” he said. “But we don’t have defibrillators at any of our grounds. That’s a basic requirement. In Australia, every ground has one. I was at the ICC Academy when two people suffered heart attacks — both survived because we had defibrillators.”

Bangladesh’s domestic calendar has expanded rapidly in recent years, with multiple tournaments compressed into short windows, often during the hottest months. The demands on human resources have grown accordingly, but medical infrastructure and welfare safeguards have struggled to keep pace.

Asked about the recent spate of incidents, BCB chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury outlined the board’s response and acknowledged gaps in compliance.

“First of all, every BCB employee has health insurance — everyone. But despite that, most of them don’t go for regular check-ups. Many take it lightly. They don’t do it,” he said.

“Since we are paying for the insurance, we are making health check-ups mandatory for everyone. Everyone has to undergo medical screening and submit their reports to us. This decision has been taken recently, and now it is compulsory,” he said.

He added that the process has already begun for those directly involved on matchdays.

“Umpires, coaches, physios and trainers — we have started testing them through the BCB medical department. Doctors, physios and trainers have already gone through the process. A number of umpires have been tested as well. After this BPL, we will test coaches and others. We will proceed group by group.”

He also said age-specific measures are being enforced. “Anyone above 45 years must undergo a medical check-up once a year. That is now mandatory.”

Recent incidents have made one thing clear: the health of the game can no longer be separated from the health of those who serve it.