Dhaka, Dec. 27 -- Mahbub Ali Zaki arrived at the ground in the team bus in the afternoon. Even during the warm-up, he remained involved, moving with purpose and familiarity.

By evening, that same man returned from the hospital sealed in a coffin. The ground where he had collapsed before his team's match became the site of his funeral prayer -- held after the team had gone on to win.

His death has cast a pall over Bangladesh cricket. Grief has swept through the hearts of current and former players, many of whom credit Zaki with shaping their careers and their lives.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza often discussed bowling at length with him. Shakib Al Hasan found Zaki early in his career. During the formative days of Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mah...