Former Bangladesh cricketer Nafees Iqbal hospitalized with brain hemorrhage

Former Bangladesh cricketer Nafees Iqbal, who is also the brother of Tamim Iqbal, suffered a brain hemorrhage on Friday, July 5, in Chattogram. He was quickly airlifted to a hospital in Dhaka where he is currently under observation in the High Dependency Unit (HDU).

Nafees had been experiencing headaches for the past few days after returning to Bangladesh with the team from the T20 World Cup, where he had served as the team's logistics manager. His condition was identified as cerebral venous thrombosis, a type of blood clot in the brain.

"Specialists have informed us that Nafees is suffering from something called cerebral venous thrombosis, He has blood clots in that part of his brain. He is now stable. His parameters are good. He will be here for a few more days. They have said that if it doesn't get worse, he will make full recovery. He has to be observed closely on the first day. He might be shifted to a ward soon, but these things take a few weeks," Bangladesh Cricket Board's chief physician Debashis Chowdhury was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Several notable figures from Bangladesh cricket, including BCB director Jalal Yunus, chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, and players like Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mashrafe Mortaza, have visited Iqbal in the hospital to offer their support.

Nafees Iqbal played 11 Test matches and 16 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Bangladesh between 2003 and 2006, with the majority of his cricket career being in first-class cricket, playing 120 matches for Chattogram. He is also the nephew of Akram Khan, a former captain of Bangladesh and a current BCB director.

While the situation remains serious, doctors are hopeful for his full recovery, provided there are no further complications.