Former Bangladesh national cricket team captain Tamim Iqbal was kept under observation at the KPJ Specialised Hospital & Nursing College in Savar for 24 hours after undergoing an emergency surgery following a massive heart attack during Mohammedan Sporting Club's Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match against Shinepukur Cricket Club at the BKSP on Monday.
Arguably the best opening batter in the country's history, who is currently leading Mohammedan in the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, felt chest pain soon after attending the toss in the match and thought it was a gastrology issue. But soon he was taken to the hospital.
Upon giving initial treatment and finding some abnormalities in his medical reports, the doctors advised him to stay under their observation. But Tamim, who managed a helicopter with the assistance of Mohammedan manager Sajjad Ahmed, insisted on returning to Dhaka, claiming that everything was well.
But that was not the case, as the situation worsened when Tamim became unconscious and foam was coming out of his mouth when the ambulance was taking him to the helicopter.
Bangladesh Cricket Board鈥檚 chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury later said that it was at that time that Tamim suffered a massive heart attack.听
The physio of the Mohammedan and the doctors of the BKSP performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Tamim.
Debabrata Paul, the match referee of the match, along with the doctors, took the decision to not onboard Tamim to the helicopter 鈥� a decision that might have saved Tamim鈥檚 life, which was later revealed.听
At the hospital, an angiogram revealed a 100 per cent blockage in Tamim鈥檚 left anterior descending (LAD) artery 鈥� the primary artery supplying blood to the front and lower surfaces of the heart. In medical terms, Tamim鈥檚 condition is often termed a 鈥榳idowmaker鈥�, given the severity of the attack.听
The doctors decided to immediately place a stent, and as Tamim鈥檚 family were yet to reach the hospital, Debabrata had to sign the consent form for the procedure. Debabrata later described the situation as one he had never experienced before.听
The director of the KPJ hospital, Dr Rajib Hasan, who thanked the doctors present at the BKSP, told the media that the procedure went successfully.听
鈥楬e suffered a heart attack, so an angiogram, angioplasty, and stenting were performed. By Allah's mercy, the stenting was done very smoothly and efficiently by Dr Maruf. The blockage has now been completely cleared,鈥� he said.听
鈥楢s we mentioned earlier, he was in a critical condition, but after the stenting, he is now under observation. The critical state isn鈥檛 fully over yet 鈥� it will take some time. We are all doing our absolute best,鈥� he concluded.
BCB cancelled their scheduled board meeting as the president, Faruqe Ahmed, and several other board directors rushed to the hospital.听
鈥楾he BCB is closely monitoring his health and continues to remain in contact with the hospital鈥檚 medical team. The board is committed to providing every support and assistance to ensure Tamim鈥檚 swift recovery,鈥� said Faruque in a media release.听
Debashish later said that Tamim was responding well and getting better but should be kept under observation before any further decision is made.听
Chief adviser to the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, also enquired about the health condition of Tamim.
On behalf of the chief adviser, deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder spoke to BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury.听
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 batter to score centuries in all three international formats.
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