Pakistan batsman Asif Ali's daughter passes away after battling with cancer

Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Asif Ali suffered an irreparable and heartbreaking loss when his 2-year-old daughter passed away fighting against cancer on Sunday. The toddler, Noor Fatima, was shifted to the United States of America (USA) for treatment but it did not make much of a difference as she lost the battle. Fatima was battling stage 4 cancer. Following the terrible news, Asif is likely to leave England to be with his family in tough times.

Before leaving for England for the T20I and the ODI series, Asif had revealed the news on Twitter. The highly-rated batsman had come to know about his daughter’s illness during the fourth season of the Pakistan Super League. He had tweeted about his daughter’s illness while also revealing that she was being taken to the United States for the treatment.

“My daughter is fighting the stage IV cancer and we are taking her to US for her treatment. A big shout out to @usembislamabad and @USCGLahore for issuing the visa to us within an hour. Special thanks to Mike, Elizabeth, Tanveer & @TalhaAisham Bhai. Keep my princess in your Duas!,” Asif had tweeted.

Asif, meanwhile, played in all the games of the recently-concluded ODI series against England. The right-handed batsman, who scored 22 in the fifth and final ODI, impressed with his batting by scoring two fifties. However, his efforts could not stop England from thrashing Pakistan 4-0 in the series. But the fine batting show is likely to help Asif make it to the World Cup squad after he missed out in the preliminary squad.

Asif receives support from all around

As soon as the devastating news broke out, Asif Ali was showered with support by his fellow cricketers. Asif’s PSL team Islamabad United led the support as they paid their condolences to the child, writing, “ISLU family pays its deepest condolences to @AasifAli2018 on the tragic loss of his daughter. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Asif & his family. Asif is a great example of strength & courage. He is an inspiration to us.”