Akram Khan is the first real hero of Bangladesh cricket, despite the inches around his waist. A right-handed batsman, the favourite son of Chittagong was one of the mainstays of the Bangladesh team during the 1990s, a period of transition from Associate to Full Member Nation. He was part of a trio of experienced hands in the middle-order alongside Aminul Islam and Minhazul Abedin who tirelessly kept up the dream of the country one day playing in the World Cup. Akram was the percentage player who was a quick judge of the single (again, don't go by his weight) and who had an eye for the blast down the ground. He was confident while facing spin but as age set in and reflexes slowed, Akram took blows on the body in Bangladesh's new era - the era of Test cricket.

Akram hails from a family where sport was given preference, despite the times. He began his career for Bangladesh Railways, a Chittagong-based club that played in the Dhaka leagues. Quickly, he moved along the ranks and joined Abahani, one of two sporting giants in the country. By 1988, Akram was playing for Bangladesh in the regional tournaments before making his ODI debut in the same year. As Bangladesh made one bid after another to make it through to the World Cup, Akram kept plugging away for different representative teams from Bangladesh. He was put in charge in 1997 for that year's ICC Trophy. This was his finest hour; against the Netherlands in a do-or-die game, Akram slammed a back-to-the-wall 68 not out that put his team in the semifinal where they beat Scotland to get their dream ticket - the 1999 World Cup. He played the country's inaugural Test and prolonged a waning career for four more years before the South African pace battery proved too much for a proud man. He retired soon after and in 2007, was appointed a national selector. He was made the chief selector in 2011 before resigning, and then taking back his resignation, in March 2012.

Akram is the inspirational uncle of Test cricketers Nafis and Tamim Iqbal and remains a legend in Chittagong.
Mohammad Isam