7 Test cricketers who were victims of shooting

Some were lucky enough to escape unscathed, others suffered gruesome consequences.

Wasim Akram survived being shot at in a shocking road rage incident. Surprising as it may be, however, Akram is far from being the first Test cricketer to be the victim of gun-related violence. Some were lucky enough to escape unscathed, others suffered gruesome consequences. Shiamak Unwalla takes a look at seven Test cricketers who got shot at. NOTE: This list does not include all the numerous Test cricketers — most notably Hedley Verity — who took part in wars as soldiers or officers.

1. KS Ranjitsinhji: The man after whom India’s premier First-Class competition is named, KS Ranjitsinhji was perhaps the first great cricketer of Indian origin. Boasting of nearly 25,000 First-Class runs at 56.37 with 72 hundreds and 109 fifties, Ranji was a household name for Sussex. He had a productive Test career for England as well scoring nearly 1,000 runs in 15 Tests at 44.95 with two centuries including 154 not out on debut. Ranji met with a hunting accident in Yorkshire which cost him an eye. He tried to make a comeback after the injury but failed to recreate his magic. READ: Ranji – 50 facts about the genius that may not be that well known

2. Norman Reid: Though his First-Class career spanned only 13 matches, Reid played one Test for South Africa, scoring 17 runs and taking two wickets. He was said to be a wonderful fielder, but his career sadly did not last long. Reid met with a tragic end when he was shot and killed by his mentally unstable wife, who then committed suicide.

3. Stanley Jackson: With 15,901 First-Class runs at 33.83 and 31 centuries, Jackson was a formidable batsman. But added to that, he also had 774 First-Class wickets at 20.37. His 20 Tests brought him 1,415 runs at a much-improved 48.79, though his 24 wickets cost him 33.29 each. Jackson would also go on to lead England in the 1905 Ashes.

In 1932, by now the Governor-General of Bengal, Jackson was shot at five times by a young girl from Calcutta named Bina Das. The incident occurred at the convocation in University of Calcutta, where Jackson was a guest. Luckily for Jackson, he managed to duck and avoid all five bullets, by which point the vice-chancellor grappled with Bina and disarmed her. READ: Bina Das opens fire on Stanley Jackson at Calcutta University

She would later say, “I can assure all that I could never have any personal grudge against any person or anything on earth; I have no sort of personal feelings against Sir Stanley Jackson, the man and Lady Jackson, the woman. But the Governor of Bengal represents the system of repression which has kept enslaved 300 millions of my countrymen and countrywomen.”

4. Jeffrey Stollmeyer: One of West Indies’ finest batsmen of the 1940s and 1950s, Stollmeyer was an opener who would often lay the platform for the “Three Ws” of West Indian cricket — Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrell, and Everton Weekes — to build on. Stollmeyer played 32 Tests, scoring 2,159 runs at 42.33 with four centuries and 12 fifties. He also took 13 wickets, but bowling was never his forte.

Stollmeyer was the victim of a home invasion in his Port-of-Spain residence in which his wife and son were also injured. He passed away soon in a hospital aged 68, after being shot five times.

5. Andrew Hall: Andrew Hall is perhaps one of the least lucky but most mentally tough cricketers on the planet. A hardy all-rounder capable of tenacious batting and an uncomfortable bowling action — Hall’s bowling arm would go to his side after delivery, rather than across — he played 21 Tests, 88 ODIs, and 2 T20Is for South Africa. And yet, Hall will be remembered as a cricketer who beat death not once but twice! READ: Andrew Hall: An all-rounder with great guts and determination

The first time was when in 1998, Hall was mugged outside an ATM machine, and shot at point-blank range. One bullet was even lodged in his left hand. Luckily for him, he managed a full recovery and made his ODI debut within a year of the incident. The second confrontation occurred in 2002, when Hall was a victim of a car-jacking. This time he was not shot at, but he was “driven around for 45 minutes with a gun to [his] head.” Hall later said, “They kept saying: ‘Look, we just want the car; there’s no need to be a hero. Just relax and it will be over soon.’ So I concentrated on trying to keep them, and myself, as calm as possible.”

6. Thilan Samaraweera: Few cricketers have survived the psychological scarring that Samaraweera not only endured, but fought back after. Sri Lanka’s tour to Pakistan in 2009 was nothing short of a nightmare. On the way to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, terrorists attacked the Lankan team bus. As many as eight people lost their lives, but the cricketers themselves survived. Not all of them were unscathed though; Samaraweera took a bullet to his thigh. He showed tremendous mental fortitude, making a successful comeback and scoring 457 runs in 2010 at a phenomenal average of 114.25. Samaraweera retired in 2013 with a Test average of 48.76. How Sri Lanka would have loved having him in their current line-up! READ: Thilan Samaraweera: Sri Lanka’s strong-willed middle-order batsman

7. Wasim Akram: The latest instance of a cricketer being fired at is yet another shocker; Wasim Akram was the victim of a severe case of road rage in which an unidentified individual fired at Akram’s car after a traffic incident. Luckily Akram was unharmed, and even managed to get down the number plate of the perpetrators after they tried to escape. READ: Wasim Akram escapes unhurt after unidentified gunmen shot at his car in Karachi

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)