Zaheer Abbas responding well to treatment, says wife Sameena

LONDON: Former Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas has responded well to the treatment for his ill health in a London hospital, his wife Sameena Zaheer confirmed speaking to The News   Sunday.

Abbas, who is popularly known as the Asian Don Bradman, has shown signs of improvement. After being discharged from the Queen Mary's Hospital in London, he is now admitted to the Hammersmith Hospital for treatment of his damaged kidneys.

Zaheer’s wife added that after his coronavirus diagnosis following his arrival to London from Dubai, the 74-year-old veteran sportsman was rushed to the city's Queen Mary's Hospital on June 18.

Sameena further stated that her husband was in a “life and death situation”. She thanked fans and well-wishers for their wishes and prayers for Zaheer’s recovery.

“He has improved a lot, and will be out of the hospital soon,” she added.

“He was in Pakistan and flew to Dubai from Karachi. In Dubai, he tested positive for COVID-19 and travelled to London when his test came negative after three days. He was unwell after reaching London and was diagnosed with pneumonia after being taken to the hospital a week ago. He was placed on dialysis and has been receiving oxygen support,” she earlier said.

Having made his debut in 1969 against New Zealand scoring, the former cricketer is celebrated for his batting in international and English country cricket. He served as the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) during 2015-16, scored 5,062 runs in 72 Test Matches, and 2,572 runs in a total of 62 ODIs.

Zaheer, famous for his style, remains the only batsman from the sub-continent to score over 100 first-class centuries.