The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has filed a complaint with match referee Neeyamur Rashid against on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s decision to permit Bangladesh to take a LBW review off the penultimate ball of the third ODI in Mirpur on Sunday.
The Pakistan management contends that Bangladesh took the review after a replay of the delivery appeared on the big screen.
The decision to review, and its subsequent impact, proved pivotal as Bangladesh secured an unassailable position in the match. Before that delivery, Pakistan required 12 runs off two balls.
Rishad Hossain flighted one onto the leg stump, spinning down the leg side away from Shaheen Afridi. The umpire initially called it a wide.
After a brief discussion, Bangladesh opted to take a review for LBW, despite the ball appearing nowhere near Afridi’s legs or body.
Standard protocols dictate that a review decision should be made before any replay is visible to players, to prevent the visual from influencing the call.
Pakistan argue these protocols were not followed, as the stadium’s big screen showed the ball passing the bat, potentially providing Bangladesh with information that it may have made contact.
They are also concerned that Bangladesh may have taken the review outside the permitted 15-second window, though no timer was visible on the broadcast to confirm this.
Afridi’s visible frustration became understandable once the DRS went to Hawk-Eye. The technology suggested the ball had grazed the toe of his bat, indicating it could not have been a wide.
Bangladesh lost the review, but the wide call was overturned, leaving Pakistan needing 12 runs off a single ball. Afridi was stumped off the final delivery, swinging his bat over the stumps in frustration.
Bangladesh secured an 11-run victory and clinched the series 2-1.
It is not yet clear what specific action the Pakistan Cricket Board expects from the match referee, though it is believed they are seeking at least a public acknowledgement of the error.
This is the second contentious decision to affect Pakistan in as many games. In the second ODI, Salman Ali Agha was run out after being caught outside his crease while attempting to hand the ball to Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Agha expressed his frustration in a heated exchange before throwing his bat and gloves to the ground, resulting in a demerit point and a 50% match fee fine. Mehidy was fined 20% of his match fee for the incident.
