Fortune Barishal captain Shakib Al Hasan got involved in a heated exchange with the umpires delaying the start of the second innings by several minutes in the Bangladesh Premier League tie against Rangpur Riders.
Chaturanga de Silva and Anamul Haque Bijoy were in the middle to begin the chase after Rangpur posted 158 at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, reports UNB.
Southpaw Raqibul Hasan was warming up to open the bowling when Chaturanga went on strike. But seeing left-hander Chaturanga marking his stumps, Rangpur skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan brought in offspinner Sheikh Mahedi Hasan to replace Raqibul.
Noticing this, Shakib walked out of the dressing room and began talking with the fourth umpire and gestured to the batsmen to switch ends. Sohan then brought Raqibul back in sparking the argument.
At one point, Shakib marched into the ground and began arguing with the on-field umpires in an animated fashion. When he left, Chaturanga remained on strike with Raqibul preparing to bowl.
Barishal manager Sazzad Ahmed later said that the law states the batsman on strike is decided according to which bowler will bowl. Shakib wanted Anamul to face if Mahedi bowled. But the umpire would not allow that. That is why the skipper had gone up to the umpires for a word.
However, a player entering the ground during the game is against cricketing rules and Barishal management did not provide any explanation for that.
Shakib was involved in another such violation in Barishal’s previous game against Sylhet Strikers to protest the leg umpire’s call for a short delivery to Rejaur Rahman Raja as one bounce rather than a wide.
The controversies on Tuesday, however, went further when Sikandar Raza overturned an on-field decision to dismiss Anamul leg before on review. Not happy with the decision, Anamul stayed on in the middle for a while excitedly arguing with the umpire and proceeded to smack an advertisement board near the ropes on his way out.
BPL reviews lack ball tracking technology and replays were not convincing enough to vindicate the decision at the end.
