Written by Vaibhav Tripathi
A massive controversy embroiled during the third women’s ODI between India and Bangladesh after Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian skipper, smashed the stumps while showcasing her dismay over umpire’s decision to rule her out. The episode didn’t end there as Harmanpreet went on to slam the umpiring decision during the post-match presentation while irking fans with her actions and comments, which were uncalled for. The match ended in a thrilling tie as India suffered a batting collapse.
During India’s pursuit of 226 runs, three contentious decisions added controversy to the game, made worse by the absence of the Decision Review System (DRS).
Yastika Bhatia was given leg-before off Sultana Khatun despite the ball hitting her high on the back leg, leaving her in disbelief.
Another disputed decision occurred when fast bowler Marufa Akter dismissed the last India batter, Meghna Singh, in the final over when the scores were level. Meghna was adjudged caught behind, but she and non-striker Jemimah Rodrigues were dissatisfied with the call, as there seemed to be a deflection as the ball passed the bat.
In a dramatic moment, Harmanpreet, in frustration, hit the stumps with her bat after being ruled out in the 34th over bowled by Nahida Akter. Despite signaling that there was a bat involved, the decision stood, as the ball was cleanly caught by Fahima Khatun at slip. Harmanpreet engaged in an animated exchange with the umpire and then acknowledged the crowd with a thumbs-up.
After the match, Harmanpreet openly criticized the umpiring, stating that they were surprised by the standard of officiating and that they would prepare differently for future matches in Bangladesh.
“A lot of learning for us from the game. Even apart from the cricket, the kind of umpiring that was happening we were very surprised. The next time we come to Bangladesh we will make sure we have to deal with this type of umpiring and prepare ourselves accordingly. They (Bangladesh) batted really well, batted according to the situation. They were taking those singles which were very crucial. In between we leaked a few runs but we controlled the game very well when we were batting but as I mentioned earlier some pathetic umpiring was done we are really disappointed about some decisions were given by the umpires,” Harmanpreet said while adding, “my hand is fine. She looked very promising in the last game, so we promoted her to bat freely and she took the opportunity with both hands. Jemi was really good throughout the innings. She played well. Good game, lot of learnings and lastly our High Commission from India is also there and I hope you could have invited him here, but that is also fine. And thank you sir for coming here. Crowd was really amazing, they were cheering both the teams throughout the game. And games like these you need crowd support and they have been amazing throughout the tournament.”
Harmanpreet Kaur hits the stumps for six. Brain fade? Pressure? ICC sanctions loom…
#BANvIND pic.twitter.com/ce8LtMQQVy
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) July 22, 2023
Whereas Mandhana rued the lack of DRS in the series and the umpiring decisions against their batters.
“I think in any match, sometimes it happens that you are really not happy with the kind of (decisions), and especially when there’s no DRS in a match, in a series of this kind. We kind of expect a little better level. I would term it in a better level of umpiring in terms of some decisions because it was very evident, there was not even a second thought given when the ball was hitting the pad, when our batters were batting. And there’s not even one second thought given before the finger went up,” Mandhana said.
Regarding the match, Bangladesh’s women’s team staged an impressive comeback, securing a tie against India and leveling the three-match ODI series 1-1, preventing India from securing a definitive victory.