Pak's visually impaired player drinks phenyl, is alright

Bangalore: A partially visually impaired Pakistani cricket player on Saturday accidentally drank diluted phenol in his hotel mistaking it to be mineral water and was hospitalised, official sources said.

Zeshan Abbasi (28), here to play World Cup Cricket for the Blind, took a sip of the contents of a plastic bottle that was kept on the table, mistaking it to be mineral water while having breakfast, sources said. Immediately after learning about the incident, the organisers of the tourney rushed Abbasi to the private multi-speciality MS Ramaiah Hospital, where he is being treated and kept under observation. "Abbasi is fine", Organising Secretary of the Cricket Association for the Blind, Bangalore, Mahantesh told PTI. "Abbasi underwent endoscopy as we wanted to rule out any complication and also subjected to certain tests. All reports are normal. He has been shifted to the ward and is fine. He will be kept in observation for about two hours, after which he will be discharged", Dr Shetty, President, M S Ramaiah Hospital, said. S P Nagesh, President of the All India Cricket Association for the Blind, said "though the hotel management has tendered a written apology to us, we have asked them to investigate the matter and tell us how such a lapse occurred. We are awaiting their reply". Sultan Shah, Manager of the Pakistan team, said "such an incident that has occurred accidentally should not and will not become an impediment in Indo-Pak cricket relations. We have a very good understanding with the team here and the tournament is being played in a very good atmosphere". "However, what we want to know from the hotel management who have orally apologised to us, is how such an incident happened and who is responsible for such negligence. It has to be ensured that such incidents do not recur. Otherwise, we are happy with the arrangements here and are focused on the game", he said. PTI