Local Bangladesh umpires lambasted for match-fixing in Division 3 match

Bangladesh cricket and match-fixing have shared an ugly relation, especially in the last decade or so. Mohammad Ashraful, who was once deemed as one of the most talented batsmen in the country, was banned for fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). In the last month itself, the Tigers lost Shakib Al Hasan, arguably their greatest ever cricketer, after he failed to report corrupt approaches.

Of late, another horrendous incident surrounding match-fixing has come to the fore. It was during a Division 3 match between Dhaka Royal Cricketers and Kamrangi Char Sports Club at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. The spat began after the Dhaka team couldn’t get over the line on Sunday, November 17. The Dhaka team reckoned that Kamrangi used their influences to win the game.

Bangladesh umpires accused severely

Dhaka alleged that the two on-field umpires- Saidur Rahaman and Jahirul Islam Juyel- wrongly gave decisions in favour of the opposition team Kamrangi. The Dhaka side said that the umpires gave three LBW decisions and one run-out, which came as a massive surprise to them. Even as the umpires were leaving the field, the Dhaka Royal Cricketers charged at them in an aggressive manner.

The losing team wasn’t happy by any stretch of the imagination and the players circled the umpires, hurling accusations at them. The umpires were even addressed as thieves. In a gruesome video doing the rounds on social media, the Dhaka team was heard saying, “Cricket in not played by stealing. It is because of these people that domestic cricket in Bangladesh is getting destroyed.”

In the meantime, Rahaman and Juyel didn’t pay heed to the noise and kept moving slowly towards the dressing room. The situation worsened to such an extent that the match referee had to intervene. He threatened to call the police and get the Dhaka players arrested for their attitude.

The clip was shared by Saber Hossain Chowdhury, the former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), on his official Facebook page. It will be interesting to see if and how Nazmul Hasan Papon, the current BCB president, and the Bangladesh cricket fraternity react to the horrendous occurring.

Here is the video