Heart-Stopping Drama on the Field
Rarely does a cricket match stop dead for anything other than rain, but the Dhaka Premier League showdown between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Shinepukur Cricket Club on March 24, 2025, was rocked by something far more dramatic. Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh’s most respected and recognized cricket stars, collapsed while captaining Mohammedan as fans and teammates looked on, stunned. He'd complained of heavy chest pain while fielding, but things escalated quickly, forcing an immediate halt to the game.
The scene became chaotic. Medical personnel rushed onto the field and had to perform urgent CPR right there on the grass, followed by a defibrillator shock to restart his heart. For a moment, the fate of Bangladesh’s cricket icon hung in the balance—players from both sides joined hands in prayer, and some openly wept.
A Race Against Time: Tamim's Emergency Treatment
Organizers scrambled to arrange a helicopter for Tamim. Plans shifted fast, though, as logistical snags meant he was loaded into an ambulance and sped to KPJ Evercare Hospital in Savar instead. At 35, just days after announcing his second retirement from international cricket, Tamim was rushed straight into a race against time with doctors fighting to unblock a clot in his heart.
The hospital’s cardiac team performed an emergency angioplasty—a medical procedure that inserts a tiny balloon to open blocked arteries. The intervention worked, stabilizing Tamim and ending an anxious wait for news outside the emergency unit. During the next four days, he remained under close observation as messages of love and support flooded social media from former teammates, politicians, and cricket lovers.
Doctors eventually described his recovery as 'positive,' but reports confirmed the severity of the scare. The decision to discharge Tamim on March 28 came with strict instructions: avoid any physical exertion and overhaul his diet, sleep, and stress routines. One hospital cardiologist put it bluntly: "His situation was critical on arrival—another minute could have been too late."
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sounded a somber note right after the incident. Officials admitted, "This is difficult for all of us—seeing a leader and friend fighting for his life changes your perspective on the game entirely." The match itself resumed in a subdued atmosphere, but the mood was shaken.
So what now? Tamim’s cricket career is in limbo. He'll be under strict medical review, with a board meeting scheduled for another assessment three to four months down the line. Doctors aren’t making promises: if his heart recovers fully, and if he adapts to the demanded lifestyle changes, there might be a path back. But if not, he may have faced his last big game—this time not by choice.
The timing of Tamim’s heart attack only underlines how unpredictable sports—and life—can be. Days before, he had closed the book on international cricket, possibly aiming for a stress-free post-retirement run. Instead, he’s now contending with the toughest pitch of his career—a fight for his health, and maybe his future outside of cricket altogether.