Top 10 cricketers who had faced near death experiences

Cricketers world over are loved and revered and given Demi-God status. The fans believe that their icons are indestructible and often look at them like super heroes with the cape. There are certain occasions when the cricketers too feel the uncertainty of life catch up to them and find themselves in a situation where they are facing the grim reaper of death and missing narrowly by a whisker. Here we look at ten cricketers who have faced near death experiences.

Yuvraj Singh – India – Lung Cancer

The star Indian all-rounder who was pivotal for the Indian team for over a decade and a half for his batting, bowling and fielding abilities, was a huge role in the success that awaited the Indian team in the form of the 2007 T-20 world cup and the 2011 ODI world cup. During the 2011 world cup Yuvraj Singh was undergoing early symptoms of lung cancer, he braved the pain and played through the world cup before finally lifting the prized trophy for India. Soon after the world cup he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had to miss a lot of time away from the game. Once he successfully battled the disease he came back to cricket and soon became integral part of the Indian team once again.

Geoffrey Boycott – England – Throat Cancer

Former English legendary opener Geoff Boycott was diagnosed with the dreaded diseases in the early 2000’s when he was at the height of his commentary career. Lot of strenuous chemo and radio sessions later the former English legend was in the commentary box to gives his valued opinions about the game he loved.

Dinesh Chandimal – Sri Lanka – Tsunami

The talented Sri Lankan faced the wrath of mother nature when the dreaded and unforgettable Tsunami hit the Sri Lankan shores and washed up his home and nearly washing up his dreams of being a cricketer. The then 15 year old had to witness his home being wrecked and also his cricket kit being washed away. It is a testament to his will and determination that he fought agains the odds to make himself a household name in Sri Lanka as a professional Cricketer.

Matthew Wade – Australia – testicle cancer 

A injury suffered as a teenager during a game of football came back to haunt the Australian wicket keeper batsman as that injury led to the discovery of testicular cancer suffered by the upcoming cricketer. Wade underwent successful treatment for the same before realizing his dream of playing for his country.

Michael Clarke – Australia – Skin Cancer 

2015 world cup winning captain Michael Clarke, too had a run in with the dreaded disease of cancer, when in the year 2006 he was diagnosed with early symptoms of Skin Cancer. Early diagnosis and timely treatment meant that Pup as he is fondly called did not have any long term health complications and he continued to play cricket and went on to captain his country to great heights which culminated in him winning the world cup in 2015.

Sri Lankan team – terror attack 2009

The world of cricket woke up to terrifying news about a terror attack conducted on the Sri Lankan cricket team when they were touring Pakistan in the year 2009. The bus which was carrying the Sri Lankan team came under an ambush attack by gun-toting men. This left many Sri Lankan cricketers with minor injuries but they were safely shepherded to the ground. The series was aborted and the Sri Lankan team made their way back home. Pakistan faced the repercussion as no team played cricket in Pakistan for a long time.

Muttiah Muralitharan – Sri Lanka – Tsunami

Sri Lankan legend Muralitharan too was faced with the wrath of the dreaded wave of Tsunami as he and his family narrowly missed the killer wave in 2004. The legend was supposed to attend a function with his family for children’s charity in Galle, but seeing the terror unleashed by Mother Nature, the legend and his family made their way back to the nations capital. The children who were supposed to meet the icon though sadly faced the fury of the waves and did not survive.

Andrew Flintoff – England – the Pedalo incident

The former England all-rounder who was one of the pivotal players for England in the early part of this millennium too faced a near-death incident when he nearly drowned in the Caribbean during the 2007 world cup being played in the West Indies. The all-rounder recounted having a few drinks with his teammates and the boat that was ferrying them turning turtle. He somehow made it alive with his teammates and he recounted it being the moment he wants to erase out of his life.

Wasim Akram – Pakistan- Road Rage

Former Pakistani fast bowling great escaped near death experience, when In a freak Road Rage incident when his car collided with another car, the occupant of the car came out and opened fire on Akram. Wasim Akram came out unhurt but that incident does give him a chill in his spine when he recounts it.

Jesse Ryder – New Zealand – Coma

Maverick batsman Jesse Ryder was within inches of facing certain death, as a group of men assaulted the New Zealand international cricketer outside a bar. Ryder was in coma due to the injuries suffered to his lungs and skull, Ryder though fought the situation and he came out of the Coma while his attackers were bought to the book.