DUBAI: Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan’s recovery from a lung infection to make a valiant innings in the Twenty20 World Cup semifinal was termed “miraculous” on Saturday by the Indian doctor who treated him.
Rizwan, 29, came out of the intensive care unit of a Dubai hospital to top-score with 67 in Pakistan’s 176-4 on Thursday, but his efforts were in vain as Australia overhauled that total to set up a title clash with New Zealand.
Rizwan’s courage was lauded by Pakistan’s batting coach Matthew Hayden and by fans, while pictures of the batsman lying in a hospital bed went viral on social media.
Saheer Sainalabdeen, a pulmonologist who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, told AFP it was Rizwan’s “faith in God” and desire to play for Pakistan that got the batsman through a severe chest infection.
Rizwan was so grateful that he sent the doctor an autographed Pakistan shirt.
“I must admit that we did not expect his recovery to be so fast as it takes around five to seven days for improvement with the kind of condition that he came in with,” Sainalabdeen told AFP.
“But because of his fit lifestyle, of course he is a sportsperson, he improved in two to three days and it was miraculous.
“Main thing I thought was his faith in God and his strong belief to play in the World Cup for his country.”
Sainalabdeen said Rizwan was admitted to the hospital on November 9 with severe chest pain and doctors suspected heart issues but later it turned out to be spasm of the lungs and food pipe.
“It all started with cough and cold but November 9 he had severe chest pain and we had a doubt of him having heart issues,” he said.
“But then the evaluation found out that he had severe throat infection which led to spasm of the lungs and food pipe. Because of which he had severe pain and breathing difficulty.”
Once Rizwan was passed fit, he tore into the Australian bowling in Thursday’s semifinal, taking nine balls to get going with skipper Babar Azam as he hit Josh Hazlewood for six.
The batsman smashed three fours and four sixes in a 52-ball blitz before his dismissal in the 18th over. He jumped to second in the tournament’s batting chart with 281 runs in six matches, behind only Babar’s 303 runs.
Sainalabdeen, who works at the Medeor hospital which helps assure the bio bubble at this World Cup, said he felt “good” watching Rizwan’s knock on TV.
Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman who hails from Peshawar, has played 49 T20 matches for Pakistan, scoring 1346 runs at an average of over 51 since his debut in 2015.
‘Faith in god,’ desire to play helped Rizwan make ‘miraculous’ recovery at Dubai hospital — doctor
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‘Faith in god,’ desire to play helped Rizwan make ‘miraculous’ recovery at Dubai hospital — doctor
- Rizwan, 29, came out of the intensive care unit of a Dubai hospital to top-score with 67 in Pakistan’s 176-4 on Thursday
- His courage was lauded by fans, while pictures of the batsman lying in a hospital bed went viral on social media
Rescuers evacuate dozens to safety amid heavy snowfall in northwest Pakistan
- Khyber, Swat and South Waziristan are areas worst affected by snowfall in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Authorities say rescue operations ongoing, process of clearing roads underway in affected areas
ISLAMABAD: Rescuers evacuated dozens of stranded residents to safety as heavy snowfall blanketed several mountainous districts, blocked roads and cut off villages in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, authorities said on Friday.
Rescue 1122 teams are operating in different areas of Tirah valley in KP’s Khyber district and shifted over 40 people, including children, to safe locations. The evacuees were provided with food, warm clothes and bedding, according to Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi.
Around 55 people, who had been stranded in 20 vehicles in Sandana area, were rescued. Rescue 1122 teams from Peshawar, Swabi and Nowshera are participating in rescue operations, which continue despite difficulties due to slippery roads and heavy snow.
“People are stranded at various places due to heavy snowfall,” KP government spokesman Shafi Jan said in a statement. “Contact with some areas is not possible due to the suspension of [mobile] signals and road closures, however, rescue operations are ongoing.”
Separately, several people were stranded in four vehicles in Bahrain area of KP’s Swat, according to Rescue 1122.
“As soon as the information was received, the rescue disaster and medical teams immediately reached the scene,” the rescue service said. “The rescue personnel, taking professional action, safely shifted all the people to a safe place and also safely recovered the stranded vehicles.”
The process of clearing snow from the Malam Jabba Road, Kalam and other areas was being carried out, according to local authorities. Heavy snowfall has disrupted traffic on several roads in South Waziristan’s Ladha town as well.
Provincial authorities have not yet reported any loss of life.
Snowstorms have proven deadly in Pakistan in the past. At least 21 people, including children, died in January 2022 after they were stuck in freezing temperatures during a snowstorm in the Pakistani hill station of Murree.
Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Pakistan’s scenic areas in northwestern KP to witness snowfall every winter, often neglecting warnings from disaster management authorities amid dangerous weather conditions.
