Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan becomes father

Bangladesh's ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and his wife Umme Al Hasan Shishir have been blessed with their first child. A daughter, the child was born at a hospital here.

"Shishir and our princess are doing well. Please pray for us, particularly for our daughter," Shakib wrote on Facebook on Monday.

"Both the mother and child are ok. I've become a grandmother. It's hard to express this feeling," Shakib's mother Shirin Akhter was quoted as saying by bdnews24.com.

She urged everyone to pray for her son, daughter-in-law and the granddaughter. Shakib had earlier announced on Facebook that the couple was expecting a daughter.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board had allowed him to take leave to stay by his wife but Shishir requested him to play for the country.

Shakib took five wickets in the first One-Day International (ODI) match against Zimbabwe on Saturday, which Bangladesh won by 145 runs.

He left for New York on Sunday after being told that his wife had been hospitalised.

Shakib's mother said he received the news of his daughter's birth on the way.

"I spoke to him when he was waiting for a flight at Dubai. He got the news there," she said.