Cricket world mourns: Cricket team's coach dies suddenly before match
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki passed away on Saturday, just before their match against the Capital Warriors in the 2025-26 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the incident via social media.
Zaki collapsed on the field just minutes before the Dhaka Capitals were set to play their first match of the new season. Team staff and medical personnel immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Zaki, after which he was taken by ambulance to Al Haramain Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) shared the news on the social media platform 'X', writing, "The Bangladesh Cricket Board deeply mourns the passing of Mahbub Ali Zaki (59), specialist fast bowling coach of the Game Development Department and assistant coach of the Dhaka Capitals in the Bangladesh Premier League. He passed away on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at around 1 pm in Sylhet."
The BCB wrote, "Mahabub Ali Zaki's dedication and invaluable contribution to the development of fast bowling and Bangladesh cricket will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude. The Bangladesh Cricket Board expresses its deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and the entire cricketing community at this time of great loss. Mahbub Ali Zaki's dedication and invaluable contribution to the development of fast bowling and Bangladesh cricket will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude. The Bangladesh Cricket Board expresses its deepest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and the entire cricketing community at this time of great loss."
Officials said Zaki had no health complaints before the incident. Zaki, a former fast bowler, represented Comilla district in the National Cricket Championship. He also played in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, representing prominent clubs including Abahani and Dhanmondi. After retiring as a player, Ali contributed to the development of cricket as a coach. He joined the BCB as a high-performance coach in 2008.