Former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy star Abdul Azeem passes away

Former cricketer Abdul Azeem passed away on Tuesday, April 18, in Hyderabad, as confirmed by the former BCCI president, N. Shivlal Yadav. Azeem, 62, is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Notably, in February 2023, Azeem underwent a kidney transplant and was under dialysis for quite some time before his passing. Azeem was an immensely respected figure in the Hyderabad cricket circles during his time with the domestic team.

He was a thorough gentleman both on and off the field as demonstrated by his decision to resign from his position as a Hyderabad Cricket Players Association (HCA) selector when he believed the correct protocols were not being followed while choosing the State teams.

It is a huge loss to Hyderabad cricket: N. Shivlal Yadav

During his stint as a professional cricketer, Azeem featured in 73 First-Class matches and aggregated 4644 runs at a decent average of 43.40. He amassed 12 centuries and as many as 28 half-centuries to his name in his 114 innings.

He first made his debut in the 1979/1980 season for Hyderabad and garnered massive attention when he notched up an unbeaten triple century (303*) against Tamil Nadu in the 1986 Ranji season. Former BCCI president N. Shivlal Yadav confirmed the unfortunate news of his demise. 

“(Abdul) Azeem was such a brilliant cricketer who never got his due at the highest level. A very sincere player who always played for the team’s cause. It is a huge loss to Hyderabad cricket,” N. Shivlal Yadav was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Azeem was appointed head coach of the Hyderabad cricket team in September 2014. Noel David served as his assistant, and NS Ganesh served as the team's fielding coach for the Ranji season the same year.