From World Cup to Eternity

‘Nice guy’ and ex-Sri Lanka youth cricketer Akshu Fernando passes away leaving behind seven years of devotion and heartburn after a train tragedy left him in a coma

By Callistus Davy

Akshu Fernando, one of the country’s technically correct batting allrounders who had the potential to play for Sri Lanka, passed away yesterday at the age of 34 unable to get back on his feet following a shockingly tragic railway incident seven years ago.

Akshu was a member of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team at the Youth World Cup of 2010 in New Zealand and after leaving St. Peter’s College played first class cricket for Panadura SC, Colts Cricket Club, Chilaw Marians and Ragama Cricket Club where he made what was his last century (102) against Moors SC that the club said was “monumental” just two weeks before he was hit by a coastline train while crossing the tracks after a training session at the Mount Lavinia beach resort.

According to eye-witnesses at the scene of the tragedy on a fateful Friday of December 28, 2018, Akshu was hit by a speeding train thundering down from the opposite direction as he attempted to skip tracks after his team-mates who were walking ahead screamed at him of an on-coming train.

Akshu had very little precious time to act as he was answering a phone call on his mobile and was hit and thrown onto a nearby hut inflicted with serious head injuries while his leg was fractured in three places that was to bring to an end the career of a promising cricketer and a fine human being who had no enemies.

He remained in a coma and up to the time of his death yesterday was surviving on a life-support system. “Akshu was loved by everyone and was one of the nicest guys I have ever come across in my life, good hearted and full of life and cheer and a cricketer who could have gone on”, said one of Ragama Cricket Club’s founding members Roshan Abeysinghe who is currently a leading commentator.

Some of Akshu’s Sri Lanka youth team-mates were Kithruwan Vithanage, Dhanushka Gunatilleke and Bhanuka Rajapakse who went on to play for the Sri Lanka senior team.

Right through-out Akshu’s hospitalisation, medical welfare and caring was his doting mother Asitha who stopped at nothing to have her son back on his feet as the two had developed an unbreakable mother-son bond from the day he was born until the very end.