Bangladesh skipper Akbar Ali battled pain of sister's death on way to U-19 World Cup triumph
Dhaka, Feb 10: Bangladesh captain Akbar Ali battled the pain of losing his elder sister while steering his team to the U-19 World Cup triumph, the tragedy far outweighing the challenges thrown at him by his adversaries on the ground.
Sunday's title triumph in Potchefstroom, South Africa was Bangladesh's first in an ICC tournament.
At the forefront of the country's win in the title clash against favourites and defending champions India was its 18-year-old skipper Akbar, whose elder sister Khadija Khatun died while giving birth to twins on January 22, according to a report in leading Bangladesh daily 'Prothom Alo'.
Akbar was not informed about the tragedy back home but he found out through one of his brothers.
"Akbar was closest to his sister. She loved Akbar a lot," Akbar's father was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"We did not want to inform him at first. He then called after the Pakistan match and questioned his brother why he was not kept in the loop. I did not have the courage to talk to him. I don't know what to say," his father added.
In a low-scoring final, Bangladesh first bowled out India for 177 in 47.2 overs and then did well enough to chase down a revised target of 170 in 42.1 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. They had three wickets in hand when the winning runs were scored.
Having witnessed Bangladesh's victory against Zimbabwe in a Group C game on January 18, Khadija could not see her brother lead the country to its biggest cricketing triumph with a gritty, unbeaten 43.
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.
Two bikers electrocuted near Ayyanpur village in Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar: In a tragic incident, two men lost their lives due to electrocution near Ayyanpur village in Chandakavadi hobli on Wednesday. The victims, identified as Nagendra and Mallesh, were killed instantly when a live overhead electric wire snapped and came into contact with them.
The men were reportedly riding a bike towards a farm on the outskirts of Ayyanpur when the mishap occurred. Ramasamudra Police have registered a case and visited the scene to conduct an investigation.
Officials from CHESCOM (Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation) also visited the site to assess the situation.
