An English bowler born to Jamaican parents and a teammate to Courtney Walsh and Ian Botham, David Syd Lawrence had his cricket career shattered in the most heartbreaking way. Born in 1964, he was considered to be one of the fastest bowlers of his era, ticking to inaccuracy most of the time. However, his fast bowling almost took away the life of West Indian great Phil Simons. It was during the 1998 England tour of the West Indies. The weather was gloomy at Bristol. And Lawrence's speedy delivery stuck Simons' head. The situation got worse as Simons was not wearing a helmet. The crowd went silent, with some heard to be silent. It was learned that Simons's heart stopped beating in the field. He was rushed to the nearby Frenchay Hospital, where he was saved. The doctors figured out a clot in his head and operated it out immediately. What happened later reveals the big heart of the Gloucester bowler. Syd visited the hospital and was seen crying by Simons' bed, holding his hand, repeatedly saying sorry. Well, it took Simons eight days to walk out of the hospital fit and fine. Lawrence faced recovered Simons later Lawrence came back in the side later in the season, in a one-off Test against Sri Lanka which was England's first Test win after two years. However, Lawrence went behind the curtains due to the rise of Devon Malcolm In 1991, he made a comeback against the visiting West Indies, in the fifth Test at the Trent Bridge. And there he met recovered Phil Simons. In the second inning, Syd dismissed him went on to produce his best performance in Test cricket at The Oval, where he picked up his only five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5 for 106. The match was itself legendary. It was the great Viv Richards' last Test match. And for Simon, his fifer helped England draw the series, winning the Test. He retained his place for the next Test against Sri Lanka and also played his only ODI that season at Lord’s, where he took 4 for 67 in 11 overs, including the wicket of Gloucestershire teammate Walsh. Also Read | Tilak Varma’s Return Nears? BCCI Set to Decide After Friday’s Simulation Game Cracking knee injury that ended Lawrence's career forever David Lawrence did not have an extensive international career. Only 1 ODI match and 5 tests come under his name. His high rise in the career ended with a brutal knee injury in the middle of the field. In 1992, on February 10, the final bell of his career rang. In the middle of his run up, the stadium heard a pistol-like sound and then watched Lawrence collapsing on the field, grimacing with pain. Ian Botham, his teammate, came to console him before he was carried out by a stretcher. His left patella (the kneecap) was shattered; that shattered his career too. He tried to come back until his knee gave out again during a gymnasium workout. David Lawrence was then forced to retire at just 20. Bodybuilding and business Lawrence's autobiography is named "The Extraordinary Life" and it is true. This man did not give up. He picked up multiple businesses, starting from helping people with hair issues, and also a nightclub named Dojo in Bristol. He fought at the gym and became a bodybuilder by his forties. However, the "not giving up" mentality gave up in 2024. Dojo was shut down after he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease. MND took his ability to speak and walk. He fought for a year before dying on June 21, last year, at the age of 61. Legacy left behind David Valentine Lawrence lived as an English cricketer who spent most of his career playing for Gloucestershire and also had a brief stint with the England team, becoming the first British-born Black player to represent the country. He took 625 wickets in 280 matches for Gloucestershire. His career was later affected by national duty, which shortened his time in the game. In 2022, Lawrence made history again by becoming the first Black president of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He was awarded an MBE in the 2025 Birthday Honours for his services to cricket.