Mohammad Ali Shah (surgeon)

For other people named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation).

Dr. Syed Muhammad Ali Shah (26 October 1946 – 4 February 2013) was a Pakistani orthopaedic surgeon and member of the Pakistan Cricket Board governing board. He was the Provincial Sports Minister of Sindh. He was also the Chief de Mission for Pakistani athletes in the Commonwealth Games 2010.

Background and death

Dr. Shah was born on October 26, 1946 in Bareilly, India and belonged to a Sunni family. His father, Syed Asghar Ali Shah, also served as a judge for many years. Dr. Shah died on February 4th, 2013 in Houston suffering from a heart attack and kidney failure during his chemotherapy. He went into a coma just before his death.

Political career

Shah was a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. In 2008 the general election, he was elected to the Sindh Assembly from PS-103 (North Nazimabad, Karachi). He became provincial Minister of Sports of the province of Sindh.

Cricket

Shah was also known for his passion for cricket and ran Asghar Ali Shah Cricket Stadium in North Nazimabad, Karachi. The stadium hosts Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah Night Twenty20 Cricket Tournament every year in the month of Ramadan.

Following an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009, international cricket experienced a halt in Pakistan as foreign teams refused to tour the country over security concerns. Consequently, the Pakistani cricket team hosted home tournaments in neutral venues such as the United Arab Emirates. In October 2012, Shah was credited as having played an instrumental role in reviving international cricket in the country after a period of three and a half years when, in his capacity as Sindh sports minister, he arranged an international world XI team – consisting of former and current players from Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, United States and Afghanistan – to play two T20 matches against a "Pakistan All Stars" consisting mainly of players from the national team. The games took place in front of packed crowds at the National Stadium, Karachi. While the matches were unofficial, they were seen as a milestone as this was the first instance when foreign players toured Pakistan to play cricket since the attack on the Sri Lankan team.[1][2]

Career

2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony flag controversy

Shah was seen carrying the flag during 2010 Commonwealth Games instead of weightlifter Shujauddin Malik during the opening ceremony. Pakistan weightlifting manager Rashid Mehmood said the team had considered a boycott in protest at the actions of the official but later withdrew their threat after Pakistan Olympic Association chief, Arif Hasan, assured them Shah would be sanctioned for his actions. Pakistan at the 2010 Commonwealth Games#Opening ceremony flag controversy

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Pakistan back on cricket map
  2. ↑ Security tight as high-profile cricket returns to Pakistan
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