Fact Check: Did Bangladesh’s legendary cricketers refuse to play under a female umpire? , cricket news

According to a report in The Daily Star, a major controversy broke out in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match between Mohammedan Sporting and Prime Bank on Thursday over a female umpire officiating. Shathira Zakir JC recently created history by becoming the first female umpire from Bangladesh to officiate in a DPL match after being included in the ICC Development Panel. However, the occasion was mired in controversy as team officials from both sides were unhappy with the decision by the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) to appoint a female umpire. The incident went viral and players like Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were criticized for their involvement.

A BCB source said, “Team officials were more vocal about this than the players.”

BCB Umpires Committee Chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Mithoo told The Daily Star, “Yes, they were unhappy that the BCB had appointed a female umpire, but the match had to continue.”

“He made comments about his unhappiness [regarding appointment], He did not complain to me but to CCDM. This is unfortunate because our Prime Minister is a woman. We should encourage these appointments.”

Things got worse when Mushfiqur Rahim was caught in the deep by Abu Haider Rony, but replays showed that his leg was over the boundary line when the catch was completed. However, there was no video review available in the match and the on-field umpires ruled against Mushfiqur.

Later, in an interview with The Business Standard, Iftikhar Ahmed said that the clubs had not filed a formal complaint and that the issue was about the umpire’s experience, not gender.

“No formal complaint was made to us from any club. Some people are saying that the players were reluctant, but that is completely wrong,” Iftikhar Ahmed told TBS.

“Prime Bank’s manager, Shiqdar Abul Hashem Kankan, and Mohammedan’s Tariqul Islam Tito have admitted that they expressed dissatisfaction because of the inexperienced umpires, not because they were women. Mainly, they were unhappy because they had to be umpired in such an important match. Inexperienced umpires were given to officiate.” ” He added.