16 April,2025 08:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Late MCA umpire Prasad Malgonkar
When Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) umpire Prasad Malgonkar, 60, took his position at square leg for the 11th over of a Bhama Cup Under-19 match between KRP XI CC and Crescent CC at Cross Maidan's Sunder Cricket Club pitch on Tuesday, little did he, his fellow umpire Parthamesh Angane and the players involved imagine that Malgonkar would be lost to this world two balls into the over.
A shocked Angane told mid-day: "He [Malgonkar] was not feeling well, complained of acidity before the toss. I told him, âIf you are not feeling well, please take rest,' but he said he's fine. Even though he was doing fine during the first 10 overs of the game, after 10.2 overs, he fell and was struggling to breathe. Then, Datta Mithbavkar, our MCA coordinator, immediately took him to hospital."
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A doctor on duty at the Casualty Ward of the Bombay Hospital said: "Prasad Malgonkar was brought into the emergency room, with undetectable blood pressure and oxygen levels. When an ECG was attempted, the screen showed flat lines. His pupils were dilated as well. He was brought in dead."
The hospital said that no postmortem was conducted as the family obtained a death certificate from their family physician.
Elaborating on the incident at Cross Maidan, Mithbavkar said: "We tried our best to take him to Bombay Hospital as quickly as possible. With the help of Ibrahim sir and players like Salman Khan, Barun Saw and Pravin bhai, we carried him on a charpai [wooden bed] from the Sunder CC pitch to the nearby National CC, from where we got a taxi to Bombay Hospital. But I think he passed away before reaching the hospital."
Meanwhile, MCA Apex Council member and Umpires Committee coordinator Surendra Harmalkar said: "It's unfortunate that he [Malgonkar] passed away today [Tuesday]. I was at the Bombay Hospital with his family. We [MCA] will discuss [his case] in our Apex Council and try to help his family financially."
MCA officials and members paid tribute to Malgonkar during their Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Angane added: "He was a very fit and jolly person, who used to enjoy his umpiring duties."
