List of fatalities while playing cricket

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The following is a list of notable cricket players who died while playing a game, died directly from injuries sustained while playing, or died after being taken ill on the ground.

PlayerCauseDatePlace
Jasper VinallStruck on the head by a bat as a result of a double-hit attempt. [1] 28 August 1624 Horsted Keynes, Sussex
Henry BrandStruck on the head by a bat (notable for being a similar double-hit to Vinall, which may have resulted in the 1744 codification of the rule. [2] 1647 Selsey, West Sussex.
Frederick, Prince of Wales Keen on cricket and real tennis, it's been speculated that he died from either a pulmonary embolism or a burst abscess caused by being hit with a ball [3] 20 March 1751 London
James Balchen"Killed by a cricket ball" [4] buried 14 June 1764Godalming, Surrey
George Summers Struck on the head by a ball [5] 29 June 1870 Nottingham
H.P. LightonStruck by a return drive by a batsman [6] 1872 Repton, Derbyshire
Claude Wilson Killed by sunstroke [7] 29 June 1881 Betchworth, Surrey
Frederick Randon Sr. Struck on the head by a ball at Lord's in 1881, from which he never fully recovered, dying in February 1883 [8] 17 February 1883 Hathern, Leicestershire
Frederick Jackman Collapsed while batting [9] 5 September 1891 Horndean, England
Charles LaneStruck over the heart by a ball [10] 20 May 1895 Cosme, Paraguay
Arthur EarlamStruck by a return drive by the batsman [11] July 1921 Runcorn, Cheshire
Edward Cox Heart failure while playing cricket [12] 23 July 1925 Holyport, Berkshire, England
Max Smith Struck by a ball (bowled by his younger brother Clive Smith) which deflected into his head. [13] 27 October 1941 Werribee, Australia
Andy Ducat Heart failure [14] 23 July 1942 London
Tom Killick Heart problem [15] 18 May 1953 Northampton
Abdul Aziz Struck over the heart by a ball [16] 17 January 1959 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Martin BedkoberDied when hit over the heart by a cricket ball; [17] flatmate of Jeff Thomson 13 December 1975 Brisbane, Queensland
Michael Ainsworth "Suddenly" [18] 28 August 1978 Hillingdon, London
Wilf Slack Collapsed while batting [19] 15 January 1989 Banjul, the Gambia
Ian Folley Heart attack while being treated in hospital for eye injury sustained on the field [20] 30 August 1993 Whitehaven, Cumbria
Raman Lamba Struck on the head by a ball while fielding [21] 23 February 1998 Dhaka, Bangladesh
Wasim Raja Suffered a heart attack on the pitch [19] [22] 23 August 2006 Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Darryn Randall Struck on the head by a ball [19] 27 October 2013 Alice, Eastern Cape
Phillip Hughes Struck on the neck by a ball during a Sheffield shield match bowled by Sean Abbott [23] 27 November 2014 Sydney, New South Wales
Raymond van Schoor Stroke [24] 20 November 2015 Windhoek, Namibia

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References

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  20. Powell, Rose (28 November 2014). "Ten fatal cricket injuries before Phillip Hughes died". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  21. "The tragic death of Raman Lamba". Martin Williamson. Cricinfo Magazine, 14 August 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  22. "Wasim Raja dies playing cricket". ESPN Cricinfo. 23 August 2006.
  23. Staff reporters (27 November 2014). "Phillip Hughes dead: Australian cricketer dies after bouncer at SCG". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  24. "Namibian cricketer Raymond van Schoor dies, aged 25, five days after on-field collapse due to stroke". abc.net.au. 21 November 2015.