Bangladesh ex-captain Tamim in hospital after heart attack

DHAKA: Former Bangladesh one-day cricket captain Tamim Iqbal was taken to hospital Monday after suffering a heart attack on the field during a domestic match.

Tamim, 36, was leading Mohammedan Sporting Club in a match of the 50-over Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League.

He participated in the toss but later complained of chest pain and after initial treatment on the field he was transported to a nearby hospital.

“He suffered a heart attack. What I know so far is that his heart started to function better,” Debashis Chowdhury, a medical officer of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), told AFP.

Tariqul Islam, a team official, told AFP that Tamim was being treated at a hospital in Savar on Dhaka’s outskirts and urged the Bangladeshi public to pray for his quick recovery.

The BCB called off its scheduled board meeting for the day following Tamim’s sudden illness, with several board members heading to the hospital to visit him.

Tamim represented Bangladesh in 391 matches across formats between 2007 and 2023.

He has more than 15,000 international runs under his belt and is the only Bangladeshi batsman to score centuries in all three international formats.