London: Great Pakistani squash player Azam Khan has died of novel coronavirus. He was 95.
According to a report in geo.tv, Azam, who won four consecutive British Open titles between 1959-62, tested positive for COVID-19 last week and breathed his last London’s Ealing Hospital Saturday.
Azam, who had settled in Britain back in the sixties, is one of the prominent members of the great Khan dynasty which ruled international squash decades. Widely regarded as one the best squash players in the world, he had also won the most important hardball tournament, the US Open, for the first time in 1962.
However, he left playing due to an Achilles tendon injury and the tragic death of his 14-year-old son in 1962. He recovered from his injury two years later, but was unable to get over the death of his son.
His elder brother, Hashim Khan, was the first Pakistani to win the British Open back in 1951.
During his illustrious career, Azam featured in a total of seven British Open championships and was regarded as one of the world’s best shot-makers and strategists.
Close to 1,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported till now in Pakitan and 16 people have also lost their lives.
IANS