Narrow escape for Sylhet Division squad

The squad of Sylhet Division, the Bangladesh domestic side, had a narrow escape when their team bus nearly plunged off a bridge near Bhairab, 83 km east of Dhaka after the driver lost control in the narrow highway. None of the players or coaching staff was hurt, they have not reached home despite having left Rangpur, the venue of their last National Cricket League match, 24 hours ago.

According to Rajin Saleh, the former Bangladesh captain and Sylhet stalwart, the bus struck the railing and hung out off the bridge. The front part of the bus was badly damaged after slamming against the barrier.

"We just about escaped," Rajin told ESPNcricinfo. "The bus was probably approached by a lorry from the right but most of us were asleep. We started off from Rangpur at 5:30 pm last evening and the drive was slow because of the fog. Probably it was a lorry which suddenly came, at least that's what the driver told us."

They vacated the bus and the next one arrived an hour later, which took them a few miles down the road where they met a roadblock due to a political strike from Tuesday morning across the country.

"We have been stuck in this restaurant in Bhairab since 7:00am this morning," Rajin said. "The people here have cooked for us but we won't get out of this place until the strike ends in the evening."

The accident occurred on one of the world's deadliest highways, the N2, which connects Dhaka and Sylhet, and according to the road-safety experts, kills around 750 people a year.