The off-field battle: Cricketers with cancer
Despite their super-human feats on-field, cricketers are, after all, human, and vulnerable to all the unfortunate catastrophes that might strike human beings at any given stage of their lives. Perhaps the worst misfortune to befall man is disease, and among these, none incites more fear than the dreaded disease of cancer.
While the illness has proved fatal for many, among them http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Frank-Mortimer-Maglinne-Worrell-c57476, cricket history is also replete with examples of players and cricketing personalities who’ve contracted the deadly disease and lived to tell the tale.
One such case can be traced back to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746’s Simon O'Donnell. Despite having discovered two lumps near his ribs during the 1987 World Cup, O’Donnell persevered, and played a vital role in Australia’s successful World Cup campaign. Upon his return to Australia, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1987 – however, after battling the disease for nearly a year, he made a successful comeback to cricket, and by the time he retired, had played 6 Tests (with 206 runs and 6 wickets to his credit), and 87 ODIs (1242 runs and 108 scalps).
The 1990’s witnessed the case of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in 1994, and went on to demolish the opposition, claiming 3 for 32, in addition to scoring a massive unbeaten 169.
Legendary English batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Geoffrey-Boycott-c58776, who followed up a successful cricketing career by going on to establish himself as a famed and much-loved commentator, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002. He experienced a sore throat while commentating that year, and after undergoing Tests in August, was revealed to have throat cancer. Owing to the precarious placement of the tumours, he was unable to undergo surgery, but following a series of radiotherapy sessions, he was cured in 2003.
Aussie skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 was discovered to have melanoma, which he described as “low grade skin cancer”, identifying frequent exposure to the sun as a contributing factor which led to the condition.
Among the next in line was former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Flower-c44362, who discovered an unusual growth, under his right eye, in 2011. Flower got the spot checked on the advice of England team’s security advisor Reg Dickinson, and was also discovered to have melanoma, for which he subsequently underwent treatment.
Later in the year, came one of the most prolific cases of a cricketer battling cancer – Indian all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s successful 2011 World Cup campaign – however, he suffered bouts of ill health throughout the tournament, including nausea, breathing difficulties, and coughing up blood. Later in the year, he was discovered to have a tumour located in between his lungs – a rare form of germ-cell cancer known as mediastinal seminoma. He was flown to the United States for treatment in January 2012, and returned to India, fully cured, in April.
After undergoing a series of fitness drills and training at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, he made a successful comeback to the Indian team. In addition, he also went on to establish YouWeCan - a foundation which helps spread awareness about cancer.
2012 has also seen two more cricketing personalities falling prey to the deadly disease. Former New Zealand captain and batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Martin-David-Crowe-c74854 was diagnosed with grade two follicular lymphoma earlier this month, on October 15, which has spread to the lymph nodes in his stomach, armpits, and neck. Crowe was among New Zealand’s most prominent batsmen, with 77 Tests to his credit.
He retired in 1995 owing to a bad knee, and attempted a comeback in November 2011, in an attempt to bring his tally of first-class runs up to 20,000, for which he needed 392 more. While the comeback was foiled by injury, it was a remarkable attempt from a 49-year-old. The former right-hander has adopted the same determined, single-minded focus when it comes to his off-field battle, and aims to fight the disease.
The latest case to come to light in the cricketing world is that of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Anthony-William-Greig-c45123, famed former England cricketer, and popular commentator, who was diagnosed with lung cancer on October 20, and is due to undergo a biopsy which will determine the severity of the disease, and the course of treatment that needs to be adopted.
Despite the troubles that have struck these, and many more sportsmen, their undying determination, perseverance, and sheer will to overcome obstacles serves as an inspiration to many – cricketers who’ve been affected by threatening diseases will always have the unending support of the public, while those who’ve fought through and emerged triumphant will always be welcomed back with open arms.
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