Dhaka, Oct. 8 -- In the absence of his missing father, 14-year-old Ryan spends his days in a rented, dilapidated house in the Kaunia Housing area of Barishal city with his mother, younger sister, and grandmother.

Despite the hardship, Ryan dreams of becoming a cricketer. Every day, he walks 10 kilometres from home to the Barishal Kabi Jibanananda Das Stadium for practice and back again.Whether that dream can be fulfilled with torn sneakers, a broken bat, and a half-empty stomach remains uncertain, said cricket coach Al Mahmud Sujan.

Ryan Khan, a ninth-grade student at Sher-e-Bangla Secondary School in Barishal, is currently undergoing basic coaching under the Barishal District Sports Association in the under-16 group, where he has been ...