Pakistan’s three-match ODI series loss to Bangladesh has sparked a major dispute over umpiring. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has submitted a formal complaint to match referee Neeyamur Rashid after Pakistan was defeated by 11 runs in Mirpur on Sunday. Team management said they were very upset with a key call in the final over of the chase.Â
On the penultimate ball, a wide decision was reversed after review, which killed Pakistan’s chance to win the series. That loss marks Bangladesh’s first ODI series win over Pakistan in more than ten years. For now, the main issue is whether the review followed standard ICC rules.Â
The Wide Review Controversy: Alleged Protocol Breach
Pakistan’s primary complaint is the original on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s decision to grant an LBW review for a ball that was already given a wide delivery by him. The ball spun heavily down the leg side while Shaheen Afridi was ready to face Rishad Hossain, so the umpire signaled the wide. Yet, after a short discussion, Bangladesh decided to go for the review.Â
PCB is accusing that the review came only after the broadcast from the stadium’s big screen, which showed the ball passing just near the bat, was shown to the players. DRS rules more or less state that the team should decide to use the review before any video footage is visible to the players in order to avoid unfair influence.
Besides that, the Pakistan team also questioned the 15-second time limit within which a player can request a decision review. It is believed that the Green team think that Bangladesh took longer than the allowed time, even though showing the time on the official broadcast was not available to confirm the exact duration. When the review was finally sought, UltraEdge revealed a very slight spike when the ball touched the end of the toe of Afridi’s bat.
Bangladesh Secures Historic Landmark Amid Series Drama
Though the lawsuit is still being processed, the Bangladesh national team is rejoicing in a great success with Najmul Hossain Shanto as the captain. This 2-1 win was not only their first ODI series win over Pakistan since 2015 but also gave them a huge momentum ahead of the next ODI World Cup. Pakistan’s middle order couldn’t resist the pressure from Bangladeshi spin twins, Rishad Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, even though Salman Ali Agha played a wonderful innings, scoring 106 runs off 98 balls.
