Dodgy On-Field Umpiring Saves Shakib Al Hasan From A Clear-Cut Caught Dismissal In BAN vs SL
Shakib Al Hasan after dismissal (AP Photo)
During the 8th fixture of the 2023 Asia Cup fixture, Sri Lanka took on Bangladesh in a must-win game on September 9 at Colombo. In such critical encounters, the match officials often have a major role to play in making correct decisions devoid of any bias consistently. But as humans, they all seem to falter in certain aspects of the game drawing heavy criticism towards them. Such was the case during this all-important fixture where a potentially erroneous umpiring blunder was thankfully averted.
A formidable bowling effort from Bangladesh restricted the Lanks to a modest first-innings total of 257 for the loss of 9 wickets. Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, and Shoriful Islam were the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh picking up the bulk of the wickets while the spinners went wicketless.
Bangladesh’s top order failed to fire but their man of the hour Shakib Al Hasan was highly disappointing with the bat as he scored only four runs. However, the all-rounder almost got a reprieve from the on-field umpire. However, the availability of technology for accuracy in decision-making prevented him from carrying on any further.
During the fourth ball of the 16th over, Matheesha Pathirana bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off. Shakib poked his bat at it and a massive sound was heard as the ball passed the bat. Sri Lankan players were elated by the dismissal and broke into celebration, however, the umpire didn’t move an inch and he adjudged the batter to be not out.
However, Sri Lanka were quick to opt for a review as they were confident. Soon, their belief turned out to be true as the UltraEdge showed a clear spike as the ball passed the willow. Much to the delight of the Lankan fans, the Bangladesh all-rounder had to take a long walk back to the dressing room.
Reaction on umpiring howlers
In that match, Bangladesh did make some recovery during the middle phase of the innings with Towhid Hridoy scoring an impressive 82. But with no viable support from the other end, Bangladesh fell short of their desired target and have now been eliminated from the competition.
 "Datrim")
