“His family buried him in a haste this morning but his neighbours suspect he had contracted the COVID-19 and his family didn’t want to get involved in the process outlined by the provincial government for patients who die from the virus,” a well-informed source said.
“Riaz (Sheikh) was a diabetic but it is suspected he fell ill because of the coronavirus and was at home.”
Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz, 50, was the first professional player in the country to die after contracting the novel coronavirus in Peshawar in April.
Sheikh, a popular figure in Pakistan’s domestic circuit, was a coach at the Moin Khan Academy.
Meanwhile Pakistan’s former Test opener and member of the national junior selection committee, Taufiq Umar is recovering well from the COVID-19 after being quarantined at home.
Taufiq confirmed a few days back that his COVID-19 tests had come positive in Lahore and he was going into quarantine.
The number of COVID-19 cases have risen sharply in Pakistan since the government eased the lockdown and restrictions before Eid last month.
Nearly 76,5000 people have been affected by the virus in Pakistan so far, while 1621 have lost their lives.