Former Sri Lanka U19 star Akshu Fernando passed away on Tuesday after spending severeal years in a coma. He had went into coma after being struck by a train at an unprotected railway track in Colombo on December 28. 2018. Fernando's condition was severe as he had sustained a lot of injuries due to the accident and thus, had remained on life support for most of the time since then.
Fernando was a very promising batter before he suffered the fatal accident at the age of 27. He was selected for Sri Lanka's U19 team for the 2010 U19 World Cup in New Zealand and had scored his maiden first-class century for the Ragama Cricket Club just weeks prior to the incident.
Fernando's numbers in domestic cricket
Across a 9-year domestic career, Fernando represented several clubs including Colts Cricket Club, Panadura Sports Club and Chilaw Marians Sports Club. In 39 first-class games, Fernando scored a total of 1067 runs, including a century and five half-centuries. On the other hand, he scored 298 runs in 25 matches when it comes to List A cricket. He further made 20 appearances when it comes to T20 cricket, scoring exactly 200 runs.
One of Ragama Cricket Club's senior administrators, Roshan Abeysinghe paid a heartfelt tribute to Fernando after the news of his passing.
“He was truly a wonderful young man whose promising career was cut short by a cruel accident. A quality player for his school and his final club, Ragama, it is a sad day for all of us who knew him," Abeysinghe was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“A cheerful, friendly and thorough gentleman was he. We will miss you, Akshu and remember you for the rest of our lives. Rest in peace, sweet prince," he added.
Fernando's performance in U19 World Cup
Fernando had also played a major role for Sri Lanka when it comes to the U19 World Cup. Considered as one of the country's brightest young talents during that time, the batter played a valiant knock of 52 against Australia in the semi-final and even though the Lankan Lions missed out on a place in the final, Fernando's individual performance deserved a lot of appreciation.