Azharuddin's son Ayazuddin loses battle for life, laid to rest

Former Indian cricket captain and Lok Sabha member Mohammed Azharuddin's son, Mohammed Ayazuddin, who was critically injured in a motorbike accident five days ago, passed away at a hospital

on Friday.

The 19-year-old was laid to rest on Friday evening at a graveyard in Santosh Nagar after 'Namaz-e- Janaza' at the historic Mecca Masjid in the old city. Hundreds of mourners -- including Azharuddin's relatives, friends and eminent personalities of the city -- joined the burial procession.

Ayazuddin died at 11.51 am due to hypoxic encephalopathy, said a statement from Apollo Hospital where the youngster battled for life since Sunday.

The budding cricketer was critically injured in a motorbike crash at Puppalaguda on Outer Ring Road of Hyderabad on September 11.

Ayazuddin's cousin, Ajmal-ur- Rahman (16), who was pillion riding with him, died a couple of hours after they were taken to hospital. The high-end sports bike skidded off the road when Ayazuddin was riding it at a high speed, according to police.

Ayazuddin's mother, Naureen Azharuddin, his second wife, Sangeeta Bijlani, and other close relatives were at the hospital when the end came.

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy rushed to the hospital and consoled Azharuddin, who was seen fighting
back his tears. State ministers and members of Parliament, including Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and leaders of ruling Congress party also condoled the former cricketer.

A pall of gloom descended on Azharuddin's house in Banjara Hills, where Ayazuddin's body was brought after autopsy.

Ayazuddin was the youngest of the two sons of Azharuddin from his first wife, Naureen, whom he divorced to
marry former actress Sangeeta Bijlani.

Doctors at Apollo Hospital said Ayazuddin was in critical condition and was put on a ventilator ever since he was shifted to hospital.
They said he was brought with cardiac arrest and had sustained injuries to his kidneys. The doctors later  removed one kidney to stop the bleeding.

According to a medical bulletin late on Thursday, tests conducted on him indicated brain dysfunction. Ayazuddin was a second-year B.Com student at St. Mary's College. He had a good record as a cricketer in
school.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association also condoled the death of Ayazuddin. His friends were shocked over the death. 0Ayazuddin's coach, John Sanjay, said he could not believe that the upcoming cricketer was no  more. "We lost a very promising cricketer. 0He was very disciplined, a talented batsman and used to play like his father," he said.

Neurological tests on Azhar's son Ayaz confirm brain dysfunction

The worst fears of the family members of Mohammed Ayazuddin were confirmed on Thursday when the  neurological assessments performed on him showed that the bike accident on Sunday had severely damaged his brain.

Doctors treating Ayaz for the last five days had been worried about his neurological condition and
had even said that it was a matter of grave concern. On Thursday, hospital sources said that since Ayaz had
suffered a cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital, a major portion of his brain had become dysfunctional
with no blood supply from the heart for a prolonged period.


Ayazuddin's neurological assessments were being taken up for the last few days in between the other treatments and surgeries he was undergoing, but on Thursday doctors carried out full-fledged neurological tests to asses the extent of brain damage. "The assessments were going on but we couldn't take them up properly since it would have required stopping the medication which cannot be done," said a source.

Ever since Sunday morning when the accident occurred, sources said that the foremost challenge the doctors faced was to revive the two boys. While former ricketer Mohammed Azharuddin's 16-year- old nephew Ajmal-ur-Rehman succumbed, his younger son Ayaz could be revived.


Ayaz was brought to the hospital in a collapsed state. The other challenges that followed were to stop the profuse bleeding from his lung and kidney that was successfully done by performing two surgeries for which, the left kidney was removed.

A health bulletin issued by the hospital authorities on Thursday stated that brain function tests conducted on Ayazuddin indicated brain dysfunction. His status remains to be critical and he continues to be on ventilator support. Doctors said they were worried that even if Ayazuddin could come out of this serious condition, his brain dysfunction could be a major deterrent in him leading a normal life.