Lamba passes away in coma

DHAKA, FEB 23: Former India opener Raman Lamba today lost his battle for life after suffering severe head injuries during a local match on F...

DHAKA, FEB 23: Former India opener Raman Lamba today lost his battle for life after suffering severe head injuries during a local match on Friday. He was declared dead this afternoon. He his survived by his Irish wife Kim, two children 8212; an eight year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

The 38-year-old cricketer who slipped into 8220;deep coma8221;, failing to respond to a brain surgery performed on Sunday afternoon was pronounced dead at 1545 hours local time 1515 hrs IST at the Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research IPGMR.

After a futile attempt to revive the Delhi opener, who had been on ventilator support since Saturday night at the PIGMR8217;S intensive care unit, the doctors disconnected the life support machine with the consent of his family.

An inconsolably crying Kim, who flew in here from New Delhi on Saturday, and his sister Anita were by his bedside when he breathed his last.

His body was handed over to his family members in the presence of Indian High Commission officialshere.

A consent paper to disconnect the artificial respiratory system was signed by Kim, two officials of the Indian High Commission, a Bangladesh Foreign Ministry official and Prof Rashiduddin Ahmed, head of the neurology department of IPGMR under whose supervision the surgery was performed.

He had been declared 8220;clinically dead8221; for several hours before the end came.

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The condition of Lamba, who had suffered hemorrhage in the left side of his brain, deteriorated on Saturday night and he experienced repeated convulsions. An MRI magnetic resonance image was done yesterday morning after which doctors had decided to perform the surgery. But he slipped into 8220;deep coma8221; since last night.

Prof Rashiduddin told PTI that repeated convulsions had led to enlargement of the contusion in the brain and Lamba never recovered after his condition turned grave.

There were heart-rending scenes at the ICU as Kim remained embracing her husband8217;s body for several minutes before the ventilator support was removedby attending doctors with his sister Anita weeping.

A weeping Mehrab Hossain Opee, the young Mohammedan batsman whose fierce pull struck Lamba fielding at forward shortleg without a helmet and proved fatal, was being consoled by teammates at the hospital before Lamba8217;s body was removed.

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Opee looked shell-shocked and was at a total loss for words when asked for his reaction. The body will be for cremated at Delhi8217;s Nigambodh Ghat at 1200 hours tomorrow.

NEW DELHI: Tears flowed as also tributes when cricketers, past and present, assembled today at the Ferozshah Kotla ground, the nerve centre of Delhi cricket, to mourn the death of Lamba. Lamba8217;s coach and guide Tarak Sinha and Delhi skipper and close friend Ajay Sharma sobbed uncontrollably.