Umpiring in the lower division Dhaka cricket league has come under scrutiny once again as on-field umpires allegedly ran a third division match, amid rain, between Badda Ekota Samaj Kalyan Sangha and Nabin Sangha in order to favour a particular team at the Jahangirnagar University field on Tuesday, reported a private TV channel.
In a curtailed match, Nabin Sangha were set a target of 113 runs in 20 overs. During their chase, Nabin lost seven wickets as Badda Sangha were in a winning position. Heavy rainfall then intervened the game and the Nabin Sangha batsmen refused to bat in the rain and wet outfield.
According to the TV report, the umpires first called the groundstaffs to cover the pitch. But later, the umpires prevented them from covering the pitch and resumed play. It was learnt that the umpires were forced to do so due to some “external influence”. Later, the umpires forced the batsmen to resume play to favour the fielding team, Badda Sangha, as they had a good chance of winning at that moment.
But from that situation, Nabin Sangha batsman Redwan played a blistering 25 off 11 balls to give his team brief hope of winning. Nabin Sangha were crawling towards victory and at one stage needed 25 off 28 balls with three wickets in hand.
But suddenly, the umpires called off the match and declared it abandoned even when rain had stopped. Supporters and officials of Nabin Sangha were shell-shocked to say the least as play resumed even after heavy rain but got abandoned later because Nabin Sangha had the chance to win. They protested against such biased officiating.
Spectators managed to grab some video clips of the incident and posted it on social media. The umpires in question are Abdul Motin and Mohammad Sha-Alam while the match referee was Abdul Aziz Sikder.
This latest incident has yet again shocked the country's cricketing arena after some recent controversies. Lalmatia Club bowler Sujon Mahmud was slammed with a 10-year ban by the BCB for his bizarre protest during a second division game in the Dhaka League. Protesting the umpires’ allegedly biased officiating, Sujon gave away 92 runs in four deliveries to create headlines around the cricketing world.
The Lalmatia cricketer leaked 65 wides and 15 no-balls in an over that eventually lasted 20 deliveries. Another cricketer in the same tier of the Dhaka League, Tasnim Hasan of Fear Fighters Club, was also slapped with a 10-year ban for a similar act. The cricketer, also protesting allegedly biased umpiring during a game against Indira Road on April 10 this year, conceded 69 runs in 1.1 overs.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
