Junaid Zafar Khan [Source: @frontrunnersathletes/Instagram]
Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Junaid Zafar Khan tragically passed away while playing cricket due to extreme heat conditions in Adelaide. As per Australian media reports, Khan collapsed suddenly on the ground while playing for the Old Concordia Cricket Club at the Concordia College Oval.
The paramedics present at the Concordia College Oval were unable to revive him. Notably, at the time of the incident, the temperature was soaring over 40 degrees.
Pakistan-born cricketer dies in Australia
Junaid Zafar Khan was playing for the Old Concordia Cricket Club in a match against Prince Alfred Old Collegians at the Concordia College Oval in Adelaide. Aged in his 40s, Khan collapsed on the pitch owing to the extreme heat that gripped South Australia over the weekend.
He was later declared dead after the paramedics failed to revive him. As per the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association bylaws, cricket matches must be cancelled if they are being played in temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius. As per reports, the match in contention was being played at nearly 42 degrees at the time of the incident.
A statement released by the Old Collegians on Saturday, March 15 reads:
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of a valued member of the Old Concordians’ Cricket Club, who tragically suffered a medical episode while playing on the Concordia College oval today.”
Junaid Zafar Khan had moved from Pakistan to Adelaide back in 2013 to work in the tech industry. Friends and fellow cricketers have all paid their tributes for Khan through either social or traditional media.