Shuvo safe now

Off the third ball of the 25th over of the game between Abahani and Victoria at Mirpur yesterday, a bouncer from Taskin Ahmed hit the right side of Sohrawadi Shuvo's neck.

Shuvo was immediately carried off the field and taken to the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB's) medical room, where he underwent four tests conducted by BCB's sports physician Debashish Chowdhury. Since he managed to pass only three of them, the BCB decided to send him to a hospital.

Unfortunately, he had to wait a while at the BCB's headquarters since there wasn't an ambulance ready for such a scenario at the venue. It was an aspect that was criticised by many who were present at the stadium.  

Once at the hospital, he underwent a CT scan and an MRI and the results revealed that the impact had not affected Shuvo's brain and that he was out of danger. 

“After the tests it was confirmed that the hit didn't affect his brain. However, the doctors did notice a slight crack in the bone in the report and initially suspected it to be a slight fracture. But later it was revealed that it was something Shuvo had since birth. We will analyse the situation further once he is released,” Debashish told The Daily Star yesterday.

“It would have helped if he had worn a helmet built as per the latest regulations. That could have protected his neck,” he added.

It was an uneven bounce that surprised Shuvo. He had his eyes on the bouncer and had even ducked to avoid it. However, the ball kept a bit low and as a result, hit the batsman's neck.

Following the match Taskin admitted that he was worried the moment his delivery hit Shuvo. However, after the match, he wrote on Facebook: "Sorry Shuvo Bhai. Get well soon."

Echoing Debashish's thoughts, both Abahani skipper Tamim and national selector Habibul Bashar opined that the board should make it mandatory for players to wear helmets built based on the latest standards, so such accidents can be avoided.