Mangaluru: "He was a good human being  who never hurt anyone. Always helpful to those in need.  He battled between life and death for no fault of his and   has now left behind all of us...."

These were the heartfelt words  that came from  Prabhaker, a close friend of Basheer of Akashbhavan who succumbed to the injuries he suffered in a fatal attack of communal hatred that followed soon after the Deepak murder case of Katipalla.

"He  had no enmity with anyone. He never hurt anyone and was friendly with everyone irrespective of their caste. When he was battling for life  not only his family members even his neighbours had prayed for his early recovery.  His family members were on a fast and were praying for the whole four days when  he was in hospital, still Basheer  could not be saved," said Prabhaker with deep pain.

 Prabhaker is totally shaken  following the demise of his dear friend  with whom he was together  for nearly 15 years while both  worked abroad. He also happens to be  a neighbour of Basheer family in Akashbhavan.

In fact Basheer who was lying in a pool of blood on the night of January 3 was  shifted to the hospital by two ambulance drivers named Rohith and Shekhar.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Dhaka (PTI): A senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official calling former captain Tamim Iqbal "an Indian agent" has not gone down well with the players in the country.

Tamim, one of the finest openers to have come out of Bangladesh, had advised the BCB to not be driven by emotion while deciding the way forward on the national team's participation in the T20 World Cup in India.

Nazmul, chairman of BCB finance committee, called the left-hander opener "an Indian agent" in a Facebook post.

"This time, the people of Bangladesh witnessed, with their own eyes, the emergence of yet another proven Indian agent," he wrote.

The post received immediate backlash from former and current cricketers, including Taskin Ahmed, Momimul Haque and Taijul Islam.

Even the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) expressed shock at Nazmul's comments.

"A comment made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal has come to the attention of the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh. We are stunned, shocked, and outraged by it.

"Such a remark by a board official about the most successful opener in Bangladesh's history, who represented the country for 16 years, is utterly condemnable.

"Not only because it concerns a player like Tamim, but such comments about any cricketer of the country are unacceptable and insulting to the entire cricketing community," the players' body said in a statement.

The 36-year-old Tamim played 70 Tests, 243 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals for his country in a fairly accomplished career.

"We strongly protest against this comment. When a responsible board director makes such remarks on a public platform, it also raises serious questions about the code of conduct of board officials," it said.

"We have already submitted a protest letter to the BCB president, demanding a public apology from the concerned board director and that he be brought under accountability. We hope the BCB president will take appropriate action as soon as possible," CWAB added.

Bangladesh wrote to the International Cricket Council to move their T20 World Cup games out of India after the BCCI instructed IPL franchise KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the 2026 edition without giving a specific reason.

"Cricket is the life of Bangladesh. A recent comment surrounding a former national captain who has made a major contribution to the game has caused many to reflect," said pacer Taskin.

"I believe that such remarks directed at a former cricketer of the country are not helpful in the interest of Bangladesh cricket. I hope the concerned authorities will consider the matter seriously and adopt a more responsible stance in the future," he said.

Mominul added: "The comment made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal is completely unacceptable and insulting to the country's cricketing community. Such behaviour towards a cricketer is in direct conflict with the board's responsibility and ethics," said Mominul.

"A senior cricketer was not given even the minimum respect; instead, he was deliberately humiliated in public. Such remarks show a lack of even basic decorum regarding where and how to speak while holding such a high responsibility.

"I strongly condemn this comment and firmly demand a public apology from the concerned director and that he be brought under accountability. I call upon the BCB to take swift and strict action," said Mominul.