An umpire named Naseem Sheikh died in Pakistan while officiating in a club-level tournament in Karachi. As per a report in Pakistan’s Samaa TV, he suffered the attack during the match and was later rushed to the hospital. The report also adds that he had undergone an angiography earlier in the year. Sheikh’s passion for the game saw him take up umpiring.
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There have been incidents in past when umpires have lost their lives on the field. In 2014, an umpire was hit by a ball in his jaws.
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During a Ranji Trophy match in 2015, India pacer Barinder Sran, who was yet to earn his maiden national call-up, had also hit the umpire Bruce Oxenford with a shot in a match against Tamil Nadu.
Since then, umpires, especially Bruce Oxenford, have been wearing extra equipments to protect themselves on the field. Umpire now wear helmets and arm guard to protect themselves.
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The players who stand close to batsmen have also started wearing protective equipments. Apart from helmet, they also wear shin pads. In recent times, there have been calls to allow bowlers to wear helmet as well.
In 2017, a bowler named Warren Barnes wore a helmet while playing in Super Smash for Otago.
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