West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite protested the decision and wanted to take a review of the same. However, as per rules he was not allowed and there was confusion on the ground. With play held up, match referee Jeff Crowe came down to the ground and had a discussion with Brathwaite and the Windies team management. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan too joined in
Dhaka: A controversy erupted during the third Twenty20 International between Bangladesh and West Indies on Saturday as play was stopped for 10 minutes over a wrong no-ball call by the on-field umpire.
With the series tied 1-1 and both teams wanting to win the decider, the hosts' run chase of 191 was marred by controversy.
Bangladesh umpire Tanvir Ahmed erroneously called Oshane Thomas' delivery as no-ball in the fourth over of the hosts' innings. However, replays showed that Thomas had not overstepped. Liton Das was caught off the same ball at mid-off.
West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite protested the decision and wanted to take a review of the same. However, as per rules he was not allowed and there was confusion on the ground.
With play held up, match referee Jeff Crowe came down to the ground and had a discussion with Brathwaite and the Windies team management. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan too joined in.
Crowe made it clear that the decision of the on-field umpire could not be reviewed in this case. Das earned a reprieve and carried on batting. A free-hit followed and it was smashed for a six by Soumya Sarkar, ending salt to Windies' wounds.
However, the wrong call did not matter in the end result as the West Indies won by 50 runs to claim the series 2-1.
"Sanctions may come and go, but if you don't stand for something, you fall for everything. If the sanctions are to be handed, I would gladly take it. My team-mates need to be stood up for and as the captain of the ship, I will stand up for them," Brathwaite said after the match.
It is worth recalling that Bangladesh players and their fans had made a huge issue of a marginal no-ball call against India's Rohit Sharma during the ICC World Cup 2015 quarter-final in Melbourne.
Back then, Rohit had benefited from the umpires over a full toss from Rubel Hossain which was called a no-ball. He was caught off that ball leading to protests by Bangladeshi fans. India had won the game by 109 runs.
"I don't want to say anything about the umpiring decisions. Everybody present saw what happened. So it's not fair on my part to comment on this," captain Mashrafe Mortaza had said after the match.
Mustafa Kamal, who was International Cricket Council's (ICC) president at the time, had threatened to resign over the no-ball call.
Even Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina too had commented as she blamed the umpires for the team's loss.
"There's nothing to be upset. Everyone has seen how we were made to lose. We will win in the future," Hasina had said.
3.1.1 A player may request a review of any decision taken by the on-field umpires concerning whether or not a batsman is dismissed, with the exception of 'Timed Out' (Player Review)
3.1.2 No other decisions made by the umpires are eligible for a Player Review with the exception of Fair Catch/Bump Ball (even after the third umpire has been consulted and the decision communicated)
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