Insight

Campbell details health scare

Netherlands men’s head coach Ryan Campbell has appeared on Australian radio discussing his cardiac arrest late last month.

Campbell was rushed to a hospital in Stoke, and forced into an induced coma for over a week. After pulling through with no damage to the brain or long term effects to his heart, Campbell was discharged on Monday.

Checking in with Triple M in Perth, Campbell admits he has little memory of the ordeal in hospital.

“I have no recollection (of the induced coma),” Campbell said.

“When I woke up I was a bit confused, I thought I was in Hong Kong (where Campbell played and coached), and I was asking my wife why I was in Hong Kong without my kids. Seven days of my life I will never remember.

“My daughter wanted to go on the slide and I was sort of up there, and then for some reason I was tired and decided to lie down.”

Luckily, Beci Bassett, the woman who saved Campbell, was within metres and had recently completely her CPR training.

“The lucky thing was I actually lied down on the foot of a young girl whose mother (Bassett) was the one that saved my life with CPR,” Campbell added.

“She had just literally finished her course. Just a surreal experience.

“I actually had lunch with her yesterday. What do you say to someone who saved your life? It was a pretty cool experience to be honest.

“I think my odds were like 7% or something, which means I get a second crack at it and I’m gonna make sure I live it to the most.”

Campbell will re-join the Dutch setup, though it’s unclear as yet if he will oversee the team’s next assignment, the West Indies, at the end of the month.

“I’m actually not allowed to fly for a couple of months, so we’re actually getting the ferry back (to the Netherlands).

“I’m looking forward to going home and getting back into a routine and seeing my cricket team again and seeing how they’re going, but we won’t be rushing back into it.”

You’re reading Emerging Cricket — brought to you by a passionate group of volunteers with a vision for cricket to be a truly global sport, and a mission to inspire passion to grow the game.

Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, please subscribe for regular updates, and follow EC on TwitterFacebookLinkedIn and YouTube.

Don’t know where to start? Check out our features listcountry profiles, and subscribe to our podcast.

Support us from US$2 a month — and get exclusive benefits, by becoming an EC Patron.

Emerging Cricket

Emerging Cricket is a collective of individuals brought together in their passion for the growth of the game outside its traditional centres – to provide news, insight and opinion on the sport beyond the mainstream, at the game’s frontiers; cricket’s new world.

Recent Posts

Justice for Menon: Sister’s plea as murder investigation falls flat in Malawi

In May 2025, Arjun Menon’s life was cut short when he was attacked in his…

1 week ago

China launches new Shaxi Town Cricket Centre in Taicang

The newest international cricket stadium in China was launched today at the opening of the…

1 week ago

Spain’s National Sports Council recognises cricket as an official sport

Cricket has become an officially recognised sport in Spain for the first time after being…

2 weeks ago

Brazil make history with first men’s South American Cricket Championship triumph

Following on from the success of the women's team at the end of July in…

2 weeks ago

Scotland, Netherlands hit back at ICC after Cricket World Cup decision

In an almost unprecedented move, Scotland and The Netherlands have sent a public statement to…

2 weeks ago

Cricket’s debut at South American Games shelved due to lack of participants

Plans to include cricket at the South American Games for the first time in 2026…

3 weeks ago