Jeff Crowe, the match referee of the second T20 between Bangladesh and New Zealand, apologised to Bangladesh due to confusion over their target in the match set following the Duckworth-Lewis Method (DL method).
New Zealand batted first on Tuesday and posted 173 for five in 17.5 overs before rain interrupted. The match referee ended the innings of the hosts at that point and set a target of 148 runs in 16 overs for Bangladesh, reports UNB.
But after playing nine balls, the Tigers were told that the target had been revised to 170 in 16 overs. But later, that too was increased to 171 runs in 16 overs.
Bangladesh’s head coach Russell Domingo said the whole thing was unusual.
“I’ve never seen this sort of incident before. We didn’t know how many runs we have to score when we took the field,” he told the media after the match.
Jalal Younus, a board director of BCB and official during Bangladesh’s New Zealand tour, said the match referee apologised to Bangladesh for this incident.
“It wasn’t something that we’re used to seeing,” Jalal told the media. “It was disappointing. They failed to prove their proficiency. The match referee, however, apologised to the Bangladesh team.”
Bangladesh lost the game by 28 runs under the DL method.
While chasing 171 in 16 overs, they scored 142 for seven in 16 overs. Soumya Sarkar hit a fifty.
With this defeat, Bangladesh lost the series to New Zealand with one match in hand scheduled for April 1.
