- Monday, March 03, 2025
The clubs did not officially file a complaint but they informed that their discontent was related to the umpire’s inexperience and not gender, according to an official of Bangladesh Cricket Board.
By: indiaweekly.biz Staff
A MASSIVE controversy erupted in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket last week when officials and players, including veterans, from both sides in a match expressed reservation over a female umpire officiating it.
According to a report by Bangladeshi outlet The Daily Star, the incident happened during a game between Mohammedan Sporting and Prime Bank in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL).
Shathira Jakir Jessy, a former international cricketer, made history on the occasion by becoming the country’s first female umpire to conduct a DPL match after being appointed to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) development panel.
However, the moment got mired in controversy the officials and players expressed their resentment towards the move taken by the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) to appoint a female umpire.
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Senior national players such as Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were criticised for their involvement and received flak after the video of the incident went viral.
However, a source in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said more than the players, the team officials opposed to the move.
BCB umpires’ committee chairman Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu told The Daily Star, “Yes, they were unhappy that BCB had appointed a female umpire but the match had to go on.”
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According to him, they expressed their unhappiness and lodged a complaint not with him but CCDM. Ahmed said it was unfortunate since the prime minister of the country is a woman.
“We should encourage these appointments,” he added.
The situation took a turn for the worse when the on-field umpires decided to rule against Prime Bank’s Rahim who was caught in the deep by Abu Hider Rony but replays showed that the fielder’s foot was over the boundary rope when he completed the catch.
However, no video reviews were available and the decision by the on-field umpires went against the batter.
Later, in an interview, Ahmed said the clubs did not register a formal complaint and the issue was about the umpire’s experience and not gender.
“There was no formal complaint to us from either club. Some are suggesting the players were reluctant, but that’s completely wrong,” he told The Business Standard.
“Prime Bank’s manager Shikdar Abul Hashem Kankan and Mohammedan’s Tarikul Islam Tito have admitted that they expressed dissatisfaction due to inexperienced umpires, not because they were female. Primarily, they were unhappy because they were given inexperienced umpires to officiate such an important match,” he was quoted as saying in the interview.
