What’s the story?
What was a regular second division cricket league game in Bangladesh took an extraordinary turn for the worse when a bowler decided to protest against poor umpiring by intentionally bowling extras.
The game in question took place between Axiom and Lalmatia, with the latter’s opening bowler Sujon Mahmud responsible for conceding all the extras.
Speaking about the incident, Lalmatia general secretary Adnan Rahman Dipon said, “It started at the toss. My captain was not allowed to see the coin and we were sent to bat first and as expected, the umpires decisions came against us. My players are young, aged around 17, 18 and 19. They could not tolerate the injustice and thus reacted by giving away 92 runs in four deliveries.”
The context
The Lalmatia side was severely depleted ahead of the game against Axiom but the players on the pitch were more than capable of putting in a decent performance. Batting first, they succumbed to a total of 88 all-out in just 14 overs (it was a 50-over game).
The details
More than a case of disappointment with the batting unit, it was just more a case of the team feeling aggrieved by the umpiring from the start of the game. This led to the bowler throwing the game away in a remarkable 4 deliveries.
In the first over of the game, defending 88, he bowled just 4 legal deliveries, along with 13 wides that resulted in 65 runs and 3 no-balls that resulted in 15 runs. In the 4 deliveries that were deemed legitimate, Axiom batsman Rahman scored the remaining 12 runs.
What's next?
The worrying thing for Bangladesh cricket is that this is the second instance of a problem in just 2 weeks. On the 4th of April, Bangladesh national dailies reported manipulation in the league during a game between two other sides.
CCDM second division league coordinator spoke about the incident, saying, “But nothing has come officially to us (CCDM) yet. I was moderating another game (at Jahangirnagar University). I do not know if anything was written in the umpires’ report. The umpires’ report goes to the BCB umpiring committee,”
Sportskeeda’s take
Cricket is a game that never ceases to amaze. This is one of the most strange responses to poor umpiring we have heard in recent times and the concerned board must take measures to ensure that such dissent doesn’t become a regular feature in games.
The players, in their teens are at a very impressionable age and they must make efforts to curb these instincts before they spread.
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