DUBAI // An international cricket umpire and veteran resident of the UAE died yesterday morning from a heart attack.
Farid Malik collapsed at the Pakistan Consulate while he was in the process of finishing documentation for his family. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
The veteran expatriate from Lahore, who was in his 60s, had lived in the UAE for more than 30 years and was a senior umpire of the Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC).
At the peak of his career, he stood as umpire at the 1996 World Cup which was hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Mr Malik's long career as a cricket umpire began soon after he moved to the UAE.
The cricket community mourned the loss of Mr Malik, who was due to conduct an umpiring course in Sharjah next week. Mazhar Khan, of the SCC, said Mr Malik was a "true gentleman and so popular in UAE cricket fraternity."
"He had a passion for cricket that cannot be explained in words," said Shahzad Altaf, a former player and coach of the UAE national team, who had known Mr Malik for more than 30 years.
"He had dedicated his life to the game and continued to do so. He was easily the best umpire in the UAE and stood at several international matches played at the Sharjah cricket stadium."
Mohammed Tauqir, the vice-captain of the UAE and Mr Malik's son-in-law, said: "I have known him for 15 years and he was a father figure to me. Whenever I was low he used to encourage me and pulled me up.
"I had joked with him several times telling him to give up cricket as he was very old. But he was so passionate about cricket that he could not do without being part of the game."
Mr Malik was believed to have be in good health and never complained of any problems, according to a colleague.
"Everyone felt he had the perfect personality for an umpire as he was fit and always composed. We are really shocked by his sudden death," said Israr Ahmed, former umpire and colleague of Mr Malik.
Mr Malik is survived by a wife, three sons and a daughter.
pmenon@thenational.ae
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
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