Bavalan Pathmanathan dies after being hit by a ball

Bavalan Pathmanathan, a 24-year-old British Tamil batsman died after being hit on the chest by a ball while batting  for Manipay Parish Sports Club in division three of the British Tamil League. He was struck while playing at the Long Ditton recreating grounds on Sunday.

“We were called to Windmill Lane, Long Ditton, to report that a man in his 20s had been injured by a cricket ball striking his chest,” a spokesman from South East Coast Ambulance Service was quoted as saying by the guardian.com on Tuesday.

“We sent an ambulance and two cars to the scene along with an ambulance from the London Ambulance Service and the air ambulance also. The man was treated at the scene and then taken to Kingston hospital in a life-threatening condition,” he added.

The was injured badly, and even after getting immediate Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and treatment while in the ambulance, the young lad died.

Manipay Parish SC on their Facebook page posted: “Our cricketer Bavalan Pathmanathan is no longer with us. He was hit by the ball on his chest while batting. Our club was totally shocked by his death at this young age.”

Richard Gould, Surrey Chief Executive, was extremely sad hearing this shocking news and offered his condolences to the Pathmanathan’s family.

“Everyone at the club has been deeply saddened to learn of Bavalan’s death and would like to extend their sympathies to his family, friends and everyone who knew him from within the community of cricket.”

“Batsmen’s safety on the field of play has been a topic of conversation in recent months following the death of former Australia international Phillip Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a bouncer last November.”

Many questions have been raised about the safety of the batsman in the game. This is the third incident of such kind in the recent times, after the sad demise of Australian Cricketer Philip Hughes, who died after being hit by a bouncer on the head and the Bengal batsman, Ankit Keshri, who died in April this year owing to an on-field collision sustained during a domestic match. Certain modifications in the equipment that the batsman wear and addition of some new may aid in making it less dangerous for the batsman. As a matter of fact, John Mooney, the Irish batsman wore a helmet with extra protection for the head and neck in the world cup. It is only left to be seen what ICC comes up with since this is a very serious issue and requires to be resolved as soon as possible.