Bangladesh’s review off the penultimate ball of the third ODI in Mirpur has not gone down well with Pakistan and as reported by ESPNcricinfo the visitors have registered a complaint with the match referee Neeyamur Rashid.
Pakistan are aggrieved that the on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena allowed Bangladesh to take the review after a replay of the delivery flashed on the big screen.
What actually happened? With Pakistan needing 12 runs from the final two balls, Rishad Hossain tossed one up on leg stump. The ball spun further down the leg side, well away from Shaheen Shah Afridi and the umpire immediately gave it a wide.
After a short discussion, Bangladesh surprisingly opted to review for lbw, even though it appeared the ball had gone nowhere near Afridi’s pads or body.
Under normal rules, teams must decide on a review before any replays are shown on the big screen, to avoid outside influence. Pakistan later argued that this protocol may not have been followed, as the stadium screen showed the ball passing close to the bat. That replay might have given Bangladesh a hint that there could have been an edge. Pakistan were also unhappy about the possibility that the review came after the 15-second time limit. Since no timer was shown on the broadcast, it was impossible to verify whether the review was taken in time.
Afridi’s frustration soon made sense when the DRS went to Hawk-Eye. UltraEdge showed a spike as the ball passed the bottom of his bat, indicating a faint edge, and the decision was reversed. This left Pakistan needing 12 runs from the final ball. Afridi was then stumped off the last delivery. Bangladesh sealed an 11-run victory and a 2-1 series win over Pakistan.
According to ESPNcricinfo, it has not been clear what action the Pakistan management wants from the match referee but expects at least a public acknowledgment that a mistake was made.
It was the second straight match in which Pakistan felt a decision had gone against them. In the previous ODI, Salman Ali Agha was run out while attempting to hand the ball to Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
The dismissal left Agha visibly upset, leading to a brief exchange of words before he threw his bat and gloves in frustration. The incident resulted in a demerit point for Agha along with a fine of 50% of his match fee. Miraz was also penalised, receiving a 20% match fee fine.
