KARACHI, Feb 4: Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, a renowned orthopedic surgeon and adviser to the Sindh chief minister for sports, died in Houston, USA, on Monday after a protracted illness. He was 67.

He is survived by two wives and three sons. His body is likely to be flown to Karachi for burial by Friday.

Dr Shah was not only a distinguished orthopedic surgeon but also a good player of cricket and a promoter of the sport.

He was born on Oct 26, 1946 in Bareilly, India, from where his family migrated to Pakistan. After passing the matriculation and intermediate examinations in Karachi in 1962 and 1965, he graduated from Dow Medical College in 1970. He earned his MRCS fellowship from Royal College of Surgeons, England, in 1976, LRCP from Royal College of Physicians, London, in 1978, FRCS from Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow and Edinburgh, in 1978 and LMSSA from University of London in 1980.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement nominated him for a reserved seat of technocrat in the Sindh Assembly after the 2008 general elections. He was later appointed minister of sports in the cabinet of Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

Dr Shah had a passion for cricket too. He even built a cricket stadium in North Nazimabad, Karachi, named after his father, to indulge his passion. Love of the sport also took him to Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, the UK and the USA.

In appreciation of his contribution to cricket, he was awarded Pride of Performance in 1996, Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2003 and Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2009.

Dr Shah was associated with a number of organisations in different capacities, e.g. president of the Pakistan Orthopedic Association, Private Hospitals and Clinics Association, Sindh Olympic Association, Karachi City Cricket Association and Karachi chapter of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Despite suffering from cancer, he believed in living a full life. He went to the US in January after his condition deteriorated and remained under treatment at MD Anderson Hospital, Houston.