Sports News | Stents, Courage, Runs Accompany Abid Ali on Comeback Trail

Karachi, Apr 21 (PTI) His footwork and technique aside, two coronary stents and courage, and runs, accompanied Abid Ali as the Pakistan opener began his comeback trail in competitive cricket four months after suffering a heart attack.

Abid, 34, had undergone an angioplasty a day after he was rushed to a hospital for chest pain while playing a match in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Karachi last December.

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On Thursday, he appeared in a T20 league match in Faisalabad and scored a half- century.

Speaking to reporters, he expressed his relief at being able to bat in a competitive game after such a long time.

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"I am feeling really good but this is just the start of my comeback trail. Need to work very hard to get back into the national team," Abid said.

A late bloomer, the opener had just returned from a tour of Bangladesh with the Pakistan team when he suffered the heart attack.

"After I was told about the heart condition I just fell into depression and I just kept on thinking whether I will be able to play cricket again," he recalled the tough times.

Abid said the team of professionals which worked with him and his family had stood by him and backed him to start feeling confident about himself again.

"To me it is just like getting a new life from Allah Talah. I just want to make the most of this opportunity because cricket is my life," he added.

Abid had had to undergo an extensive rehabilitation programme and wait for months to get clearance from doctors to play again.

Cardiac surgeons, after several tests, diagnosed that Abid was suffering from "acute coronary syndrome", which, in simple terms, means there was blockage of blood flow in his heart.

He was batting on 61 for Central Punjab against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL complex when the team manager rushed him to the hospital after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness in his shoulder.

The Lahore-based opener has scored hundreds on his ODI and Test debuts.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), after the Abid incident, decided to install defibrillator machines at its high-performance centres and main stadiums in Karachi and Lahore.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)