Tuesday, April 19 2022, is a gloomy day for Bangladesh cricket as two legendary former cricketers left the world.
Samiur Rahman, the former Bangladesh fast bowler, has died aged 68 in Dhaka. He was suffering from pneumonia complications following a stroke which happened earlier this year, according to his relatives.
Samiur was part of Bangladesh's first two ODIs in 1986, in addition to featuring in the ICC Trophy in 1982 and 1986.
He enjoyed a more prolific career in the Dhaka Premier League, having played for Abahani, Mohammedan Sporting, Bangladesh Biman, Kalabagan Krira Chakra, Azad Boys and Brothers Union. He represented Barisal, too, in the National Cricket Championship.
Notably, he also played basketball for Dhaka Spurs, as per an espncricinfo report.
After his playing career, Samiur served as an umpire and match referee. He is survived by his wife and two sons. His brother Yousuf Rahman, who is currently in the US, is also a former national cricketer.
Another former cricketer Mosharraf Hossain Rubel also died on Tuesday at the age of 40 after a long battle with cancer.
He breathed his last at United Hospital in Dhaka, according to news agencies.
Rubel was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019. In March 2019, he had an operation in Singapore, and went through a full cycle of chemotherapy as well.
But in January 2021, the cancer returned.
His condition worsened last month when he was admitted to a Dhaka hospital. His doctors put him in an intensive care unit. His condition was slightly better after a few days of treatment. But there was no beating the cancer.
Mosharraf got the first of his five caps for Bangladesh, all in ODIs, back in 2008, reports UNB.
His last international appearance was in 2016, when he was called up abruptly for a series against Afghanistan. Before this series, he was out of the national set-up for more than eight years.
An allrounder who bowled left-arm spin and batted left-handed, Mosharraf was the player of the final in the Bangladesh Premier League 2013. He had numerous match-winning performances in the domestic level in a career spanning more than 15 years.
Mosharraf bagged more than 500 wickets in competitive cricket, with 20 five-fors. He also had two First-class centuries and 16 half-centuries under his belt.