Bangladesh Premier League: Dhaka Capitals' assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki collapses before game, dies

Dhaka Capitals assistant coach Mahbub Ali Zaki tragically passed away on Saturday (Dec 27) after collapsing on the field before his team’s Bangladesh Premier League match against the Rajshahi Warriors in Sylhet. According to local media reports he suffered a heart attack. Despite immediate CPR and being rushed to Al Haramain Hospital, Zaki was pronounced dead on arrival. Players, coaches and match officials observed a minute’s silence before the game as a mark of respect.

The BCB, where Zaki was employed for the last 17 years, posted on social media: "Following his playing career, Mahbub Ali Zaki dedicated himself to coaching and player development. He joined the BCB in 2008 as a High Performance coach and went on to make a significant contribution to the growth of pace bowling in the country through his work."

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Before becoming a coach, Mahbub Ali Zaki was a right-arm fast bowler and played for Comilla District in the National Cricket Championship and also featured for top Dhaka Premier Division teams such as Abahani Limited and Dhanmondi. His time as a player helped him to build strong knowledge of fast bowling, which later shaped his coaching career.

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Zaki joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in 2008 as a high-performance coach. He later took on the role of Specialist Pace Bowling Coach in the Game Development Department and became widely known for helping Taskin Ahmed during the 2016 T20 World Cup, after Taskin’s bowling action was questioned by the ICC governing body.

Zaki worked closely with him to correct the action, enabling the young pacer to return to international cricket successfully.