Wasim Akram suffered a major tragedy in his life when his first wife Huma passed away in 2009. The legendary Pakistan cricketer’s spouse’s death happened in tragic circumstances as she fell on an air ambulance headed towards Singapore and had to be rushed to a hospital in Chennai, where she ultimately breathed her last.
Wasim recalled the heartbreaking incident and stated that he was in tears at the Chennai airport as Huma was unconscious. He recalled how he did not have an Indian visa but hailed a gesture from an Indian immigration officer who left him to take his wife to the hospital without any delay.
“I was flying to Singapore with my late wife and there was a stop in Chennai for refueling. When he landed, she was unconscious, I was crying and people recognized me at the airport. We didn’t have an Indian visa. We both had Pakistani passports.
“The people at the Chennai airport, the security forces, and the customs and immigration officials told me not to worry about the visa and take my wife to the hospital while they sort the visa out. That is something I will never forget, as a cricketer and as a human being,” Wasim told Sportsstar.
Wasim also recalled another incident from his career in Chennai, when the Pakistani team won a historic Test match against India in the city.The game is remembered for a valiant century by Sachin Tendulkar and how the Indian crowd gave the Pakistan side a standing ovation.
“Forty-thousand people were screaming while I was talking to myself in the split-second just before the catch… Winning in India was a massive deal, but what struck all of us was the standing ovation we got from the Chennai crowd. That Test will be special forever because of the drama, the standing ovation, the tour and the circumstances – one of the best Test matches I have played. So, thank you to the people of Chennai,” Wasim added.
Wasim married for the second time, four years after his first wife’s death in 2013, to Australian born Shaniera. The couple had a daughter together in 2014. Wasim also has two children from his first marriage.
