Agency :
Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud Sujon was disappointed with the umpiring in the outgoing Durban Test. He also said that Bangladesh could have been chasing a small total if the decisions had gone their way.
Several decisions – particularly LBW – had gone against Bangladesh in the first session on the fourth day, prompting calls to reinstate neutral umpires for international matches.
“There was no hiding from the [poor] umpiring in today’s play. A number of decisions went against us. We also missed out on a wicket when the boys seemed scared of taking a review,” said Mahmud.
“If we got those decisions, we might be chasing 180 instead of 270. To be really honest, I have seen such inconsistency in umpiring after a long time. But the umpires are the best judge on the field. We have to accept the decisions,” he added.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, who is not with the team due to personal reasons, had tweeted that ICC should bring back neutral umpires since the Covid-19 situation had improved in many cricket-playing countries.
Bangladesh selector and former captain Habibul Bashar also agreed with Shakib’s statement.
“I totally agree with Shakib. Since Covid protocols are all but over, we should go back to neutral umpires. Umpires make mistakes but definitely neutral umpires ensure everyone gets the advantage. We have seen that on and off in this series. The DRS is certainly helpful but the umpire’s call isn’t really going in our favour,” Bashar said.
