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‘It Is Totally Her Problem...,’  Bangladesh Captain Slams Harmanpreet Kaur; Calls For Better Manners From Indian Captain

image-lkez7fbaBangladesh Women captain Nigar Sultana | Source: Twitter 

The third and decisive ODI between India and Bangladesh ended in a thrilling tie on Saturday, July 22. Bangladesh set India a 226-run target, India were all out for 225 in 49.3 overs. 

Amidst the action-packed match, Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian skipper, engaged in a heated exchange with the umpire following her dismissal. The incident took place on the fourth ball of the 34th over, as Fahima Khatun took a crucial catch off Nahida Akter's delivery. 

Her emotions got the better of her as she struck the stumps in frustration and expressed her discontent towards the decision while walking off the field. Not just this, while walking back to the pavilion she even showed a thumbs up to the celebrating crowd. 

The controversy didn't end there, as Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur unleashed a scathing criticism of the umpiring standards in the post-match conference. 

While her deputy Smriti Mandhana chose to back captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the Bangladesh captain was vocal in her criticism of Kaur's actions and words, leaving no room for ambiguity. 

Here’s what Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match conference: 

“A lot of learning from this game. Even apart from the cricket, the type of umpiring that was happening there, we were very surprised. The next time whenever we are coming to Bangladesh, we'll have to make sure we have to deal with this kind of umpiring and accordingly, we'll have to prepare ourselves."

As reported by ESPNCricinfo, Harmanpreet had also made a controversial request for the umpires to join the Bangladesh team for the end-of-series photograph, implying their bias towards the home team. 

Meanwhile the Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana, offended by this remark, hit back at Harmanpreet Kaur, stating that she should have shown better manners. 

Here’s what Nigar Sultana said: 

"It is totally her problem. I have nothing to do with it. As a player, she could have shown better manners. I can't tell you what happened, but it didn't feel right to be there [for the photograph] with my team. It wasn't the right environment. That's why we went back. Cricket is a game of discipline and respect.”

The umpires' decision is the final decision: Nigar Sultana

The Bangladesh captain also made it clear that questioning the umpire's judgment is not appropriate, and players should acknowledge the decision as final and move ahead: 

"The umpires wouldn't give her out if she wasn't out. We had umpires from men's international cricket, so they were good umpires. What are they [India] going to say about the caught or run-out dismissals [of which there were six excluding the Harmanpreet and Meghna wickets]?"

"We have respected their decisions. The umpire's decision is the final decision, whether I like it or not. Why didn't we behave in that way [like the India players]?"

The controversy has become a focal point in the cricketing sphere, with fans and experts expressing their displeasure over Harmanpreet Kaur's actions, advocating for potential punishment or a ban from participating in some matches.