Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief Nazmul Hassan said he has set up a committee to look into allegations of biased umpiring in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) after Shakib Al Hasan was banned and fined over his angry outrages over umpiring decisions earlier this month.
Shakib was caught on camera, kicking the stumps, knocking the bails off and aggressively arguing with the on-field umpire a couple of times after a few decisions went against him during the DPL match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Abahani Limited.
Mohammedan skipper Shakib was first furious at the umpire’s decision to deny him an lbw appeal against Mushfiqur Rahim and was then angered by the umpire’s decision to take the players off the field with one ball remaining in the sixth over as the rain came down.
Shakib was banned for three DPL matches and fined Bangladeshi Taka 5 lakh by the BCB for his unruly behaviour in the said DPL match.
While Shakib apologized for his behavior in a social media post, his wife had alleged that the incident was a plot to portray the all-rounder as a villain. She also raised suspicion about the decisions of the umpires. “it is sad to see the main issue getting buried by the media highlighting only the anger that he showed. The main issue is the ongoing eye-catching decisions of the umpires!” she had said.
Acknowledging that there are allegations of biased umpiring, Nazmul Hasan said the BCB will look into them. He also conceded that Shakib’s outburst has tarnished the image of Bangladesh cricket.
“It (Shakib’s outburst) has spread so much internationally. I am getting non-stop calls from all over the world. This is extremely insulting for Bangladesh. I think there’s no point in playing domestic cricket until and unless we find out the solution. It has reached an extreme point. It has ruined all the good work we have done,” Nazmul Hassan told Jamuna TV.
“They haven’t shown me anything as proof. I am only seeing documents signed by managers and captains from matches. There’s no complaint from anyone, so who will give me the allegations? I have still asked them to find out what’s going on. Matches are being recorded now. It is not just hearsay. We will definitely take action,” he said.
