Why all cricket clubs need defibrillators

Local cricket clubs are particularly common places for a sudden cardiac arrest to transpire and it is vital clubs are equipped with the right equipment to deal with a medical emergency

Promotional feature

A sudden cardiac arrest can strike at any time and often without warning.

Local cricket clubs are particularly common places for a sudden cardiac arrest to transpire and it is vital clubs are equipped with the right equipment to deal with a medical emergency.

While defibrillators and medical expertise are readily available across all areas of professional sport, sadly this isn’t the case in the amateur cricket scene.

Tragically, Maqsood Anwar, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, collapsed and died after suffering a heart attack while playing for his local side, Sully Centurions Cricket Club in July.  

The importance of defibrillators cannot be overlooked. While some local clubs already have provisions in place – such as Kettering Town CC who successfully used a defibrillator after a player took ill during a Sunday game in June – many clubs have yet to follow suit.

According to the Resuscitation Council, approximately 200 cardiac arrests occur each day in the UK. 90 per cent of cardiac arrests are fatal. Just 10 per cent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital environment in the UK survive. If a defibrillator is used and effective CPR is performed within three to five minutes of collapse, the chance of survival increases from six per cent to 74 per cent.  

While sudden cardiac arrest in cricketers cannot be predicted, having the correct provisions in place is essential. 

Here at defibshop, it is our mission to make the UK heart-safe and ensure that defibrillators are accessible at all sporting facilities and as many people as possible have the knowledge to save a life. Speak to our experts today.

For more information, visit https://www.defibshop.co.uk/

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.