15 living cricketers who have battled with cancer

Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Pollock, Michael Clarke and others who battled cancer.

Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain and legendary commentator, was diagnosed with cancer recently. Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Pollock and Michael Clarke are some of the other cricketers who have battled the disease successfully. Nishad Pai Vaidya lists 15 cricketers who have either been cured or are currently suffering from cancer.

1. Richie Benaud: The former Australia captain and legendary commentator, Richie Benaud was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2014. Benaud is one of the most popular commentators and fans would miss him while he is away for treatment.

   

2. Martin Crowe: Arguably New Zealand’s greatest batsman ever, Martin Crowe announced in 2012 that he had lymphoma. This was just over a year after he stunned the world by announcing his intentions of making a comeback to First-Class cricket. Crowe recovered from this bout, and returned to public life. But, two years down the line, the disease resurfaced.

   

3. John Emburey: The former England spinner underwent a surgery on his forehead in 2014 to remove a tumour. Emburey said the cancer was caused due to the exposure to the sun during his playing days.

   

4. Graeme Pollock: The legendary South African batsman was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2013. He was successfully treated, but the costs took a toll on his finances. A year later, it was revealed that he struggled to pay the mortgages for his house.

   

5. Clive Rice: South Africa’s first international skipper post apartheid injured his leg, which led to the detection of a lump in his thigh. He underwent surgery in 2013 and beat the disease.

   

6. Hanif Mohammad: The original ‘Little Master’ was operated for liver cancer in London in July 2013. Fortunately, the disease was diagnosed early and the treatment was successful.
7. Robin Jackman: Robin Jackman was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. The tumour was around his vocal chords and he had to undergo a surgery followed by a few radiotherapy sessions. The former England fast bowler returned to commentary in 2013.

   

8. Yuvraj Singh: The southpaw was the toast of the nation when India lifted the 2011 ICC World Cup. Far from the public glare, Yuvraj suffered and battled an unknown illness. Months later, he was diagnosed with cancer and went to the United States of America in early 2012 for treatment. Later that year, he made a remarkable comeback in international cricket as he featured in the ICC World T20 2012.

   

9. Michael Clarke: In 2006, young Michael Clarke has a scare. Two patches on his face were identified and were said to be minor cases of skin cancer. Clarke was treated for it and resumed playing without further issues. He did however don the floppy hat thereafter to get more protection for his face.

   

10. Matthew Wade: Unlike the others in this list, Wade was afflicted with cancer even before he became a professional cricketer. At the age of 16, he was hit in the groin during a game of football. It was due to that freak injury that the doctors found testicular cancer. Wade was successfully treated for it and went on to play for Australia in 2011.

    

11. Geoffrey Boycott: The former England batsman was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2003, during India’s tour of England. Boycott was a regular face in the commentary box, but the disease forced him to take a year’s break. In the interval, he had to endure 35 radiotherapy sessions. A year later, he was back in the commentary box and hasn’t looked back since.
    
12. John Edrich: The former England batsman was given only seven years to live when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000. Edrich confirmed 12 years later that he was cured of the dreaded disease.
13. Dave Callaghan: As a young cricketer, South African Dave Callaghan was going about charting a path to international cricket. However, his plans were thrown off-track when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1991. Callaghan fought the disease and a year down the line, he made his debut for the Proteas.

    

14. Jai Prakash Yadav: The Railways all-rounder’s story is quite similar to Callaghan’s. Jai Prakash Yadav was 21 years old when a tumour was found in his stomach. Yadav was asked to undergo seven sessions of chemotherapy. However, after three were done, he went for a camp and was picked for the Madhya Pradesh team. Fortunately, he recovered and played a few One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India from 2002 to 2005.

    

15. Simon O’Donnell: The Australian all-rounder was a part of the 1987 World Cup squad that clinched the title. However, he battled fears of cancer as two lumps were identified in his ribs. Following Australia’s triumph, he underwent treatment for the non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was back playing for Australia a year down the line.

 (Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)