Parvaz Mirza
Parvaz Mirza
WORCESTERSHIRE fast-medium bowler Parvaz Mirza, 24, died at his Birmingham home early on Sept 24, from a suspected heart attack, only a week after playing for his county in their final Sunday League match of the season. `We are devastated', said Worcestershire secretary Mike Vockins. `You don't really think of these things happening to a young man, especially a professional sportsman.'
A return of 7 for 58 in a 2nd XI match against Somerset II in 1993 earned Mirza a place on the staff at New Road, and he made his first-class debut in 1994, taking 4 for 29 against Oxford University at Worcester.
Born in Birmingham on Dec 17, 1970, he made his highest first-class score (40) in his first Championship match, against Kent at Canterbury, sharing a 10th-wicket stand of 102 with Richard Illingworth. In all he played nine first-class matches, scoring 86 runs (7.17) and taking 23 wickets (37.13), with a best of 5 for 110 against Derbyshire at Kidderminster in Aug 1995. He had become an important member of Worcestershire's successful one-day side. He played for Herefordshire in 1992.
His last game of cricket was at Weybridge, Surrey on Sept 20, when he took part in a benefit match for Worcestershire team-mate Neal Radford. The president of the local club, John Adams, said that Parvaz Mirza was `a really nice young man, with a lot of potential' and that he had looked in `very good health and spirits'.
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