The ending of the last year- 2021 had not been a sweet one for the Pakistan Test player Abid Ali, after undergoing angioplasty. But Ali could not have asked for a better start to the new year- 2022 in a better fashion than this as he is aiming for a comeback to cricket after a hiatus due to medical issues.
It is understood that he has started his rehabilitation at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) National High-Performance Centre. The rehabilitation process will take place under the supervision of PCB’s medical unit.
Second life
The 34-year-old said that he has been given a second life.
“As cricket has a second innings, the Almighty has given me a second life. I cannot thank the Almighty enough that I am sitting here today,” Abid was quoted while talking to the PCB.
The right-handed batsman described the moment when he felt uneasy and pain while he was batting.
Ali was found to have suffering from a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome after he had chest pain while playing for Central Punjab against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
“I started to feel uneasiness and pain while batting. It worried me. When the pain intensified, I did some running and also consulted my batting partner Azhar Ali.
“Subsequently and with the permission of the umpires, I left the field. But as I reached the rope, I started to vomit and got dizzy. The team physio and doctor Asad (Central Punjab’s team doctor) ran towards me, took off my pads, and rushed me to a hospital."
The real reason
But according to Ali, he was not aware of the heart trouble that he was having. Ali recalled the moment when the doctors had informed him that a valve of his heart was blocked.
“I was not aware that I was having a heart issue. The doctors conducted ECG (electrocardiogram), which did not come out fine. They asked me how I was even walking and told me, ‘A normal person’s heart operates at 55 percent, while mine was operating a 30 percent. A valve of your heart is blocked and we will have to insert two stents’. That left me in a state of shock."
But now the situation has improved a lot and Ali can think of coming back to the game of cricket after this miraculous turnaround.
“The PCB medical team has prepared a rehab plan for me. God willing, I will try to hold the bat as early as I can and start training.”
