The coronavirus has created havoc across the world. The pandemic has taken the lives of many people in different parts of the world. As of April 14, More than 100,000 have died due to COVID-19. As a result, the virus has now created a situation of emergency throughout the globe.
The cricket fraternity also lost a former player due to coronavirus. Former Pakistan cricketer Zafar Sarfaraz has passed away after he was tested positive with COVID-19. The former first-class cricketer was in critical condition before finally losing the battle to the pandemic.
Zafar Sarfaraz dies in Peshawar
Zafar Sarfaraz was 50-year-old. According to ESPNCrincinfo, Zafar Sarfaraz was admitted to a local hospital in Peshawar.
The 50-year old, who made his debut back in 1988, had been on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Peshawar for the past three days.
Source: Espn Cricinfo
Zafar is officially the first professional cricketer to face death due to COVID-19 in Pakistan. He had made his professional first-class debut in 1988. In his short career, he played 15 first-class matches for Peshawar. Zafar scored a total of 616 runs during his first-class career.
Zafar played professional cricket for six years. He finally announced his retirement in 1994. Zafar Sarfaraz also played six domestic one-day matches, scoring a total of 96 runs in that format.
After his retirement, Zafar went on to become a professional cricket coach. During his time, Zafar Sarfaraz coached Peshawar’s senior-level and U-19 team.
Zafar Sarfaraz also had a brother Akhtar Sarfaraz. Akhtar played international cricket for Pakistan in the late 1990s.
Akhtar Sarfaraz also passed away almost 10 months ago in Peshawar after losing his battle with colon cancer.
Unlike his brother, Akhtar Sarfaraz had a very successful domestic career. He played more than 100 first-class matches for Peshawar and also played four One-Day Internationals for Pakistan.
Source: Daily Times
A sad month for Pakistan’s sports fraternity
Apart from Zafar, Pakistani squash player Azam Khan had also died of COVID-19 in March. Azam Khan was 95 years old.
Azam, who won four successive British Open titles between 1959-62, had tested positive for the novel coronavirus at the end of March. He passed away in London’s Ealing Hospital. As of April 2020, Peshawar has 744 of the nearly 5500 active cases in Pakistan.
At least 96 people so far have succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section below!
