Indian-origin all-rounder Simi Singh, who has played 35 ODIs and 53 T20Is for Ireland, is currently battling for his life. The cricketer, who is suffering from acute liver failure, is currently in the ICU of a Gurugram hospital, according to a report by Times Of India. The report further stated that the cricketer is waiting for a liver transplant that will be performed at the hospital. Simi, who was born in Mohali, played for Punjab at the U-14 and U-17 levels but failed to make the U-19 team. He decided to travel to Ireland for studying hotel management and in 2006, he joined Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin as a professional. He went on to become one of the leading cricketers for Ireland with 39 ODI wickets and 44 T20I wickets. He has also scored an ODI century against South Africa in 2021.
Simi Singh's father-in-law Parvinder Singh opened up about the cricketer's condition.
"Some five-six months back, when he was in Dublin, Ireland, Simi developed a strange kind of fever which kept coming and going. He got himself examined there, but nothing conclusive came out in the check-ups. The medical professionals there said that they couldn't find the underlying cause and therefore they wouldn't start medication," Parvinder told Times Of India.
"The process was getting delayed and Simi's health was deteriorating, so we decided to get him treated in India for 'better medical attention'. Simi flew to Mohali in late June, and after a few consultations with various physicians his treatment started in PGI, Chandigarh in the beginning of July. There the line of treatment was taken for TB (tuberculosis) and antibiotics were given to him. Later, results came out that he didn't have TB."
"As his fever didn't subside, we took him to a private hospital in Mohali for a second opinion. There, we were told that Simi didn't have TB, but the course of the medicines - six weeks - had to be completed. Along with the TB medicines, steroids were also given to him. After that, his fever started increasing again and he developed acute jaundice. In the last week of August, we took him back to PGI where he was admitted to the ICU. But his health kept deteriorating and the PGI physicians detected that he had developed acute liver failure. They advised us to take Simi to Medanta, Gurugram, because there was a high probability of him slipping into coma after which a transplant wouldn't be possible. We came to Medanta on September 3," he added.
According to the report, Simi is now waiting for a liver transplant and his wife - Agamdeep Kaur - has agreed to donate one part of her liver.