Due to Harmanpreet Kaur’s behaviour, which included smashing the stumps after being given out and afterwards calling the umpire “pathetic,” the last, decisive Women’s ODI between Bangladesh and India has instead become the topic of conversation.
At the post-game news conference, Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana didn’t hold back in criticising Harmanpreet, saying he “could have shown better manners” despite Smriti Mandhana standing up for her captain.
Harmanpreet was dismissed while attempting a sweep off Nahida Akter in the 34th over of India’s chase of 226. Was there any glove or bat in the way, or did it go off the pads? After being declared out, Harmanpreet smashed the stumps with her bat and then spoke to the umpires before leaving, giving the audience a thumbs-up as she went. Harmanpreet appeared to be upset at first because she believed the call was a lbw, but the umpire made the call after the catch was complete.
Yastika Bhatia had earlier contested the umpire’s lbw ruling against her in the fifth over by refusing to move and giving him the evil eye. Meghna Singh played away from her body to Marufa Akter’s following delivery in the final over after Jemimah Rodrigues’ single had matched the score, and she was subsequently given out caught behind.
Curiously, Meghna originally gave the impression that she was making her way to the dressing room while the Bangladesh players cheered all around her, but she soon halted and began conversing with the umpire.
Tanvir Ahmed, a seasoned umpire, officiated the dismissals of Harmanpreet and Meghna, while Muhammad Kamruzzaman officiated the Yastika wicket.
At the awards ceremony, Harmanpreet stated, “A lot of learning from this game. “Even outside of the cricket, we were really astonished by the style of umpiring that was taking place there. The next time we travel to Bangladesh, we will need to ensure that we can deal with this type of umpiring and will need to be adequately prepared.
After choosing to bat first, Bangladesh scored 225 for 4 off of Fargana Hoque’s 107. When Harmanpreet was out during the chase, India had scored 160 for 4 in 33.4 overs and was in a strong position to prevail. But they gave up and were reduced to 225.
“They [Bangladesh] batted pretty well; they batted appropriately. According to Harmanpreet, they were taking those singles that were quite important. “We gave up a few runs in between, but while we were batting, we had complete control of the situation. However, as I already stated, some poor umpiring occurred, and we are really dissatisfied with some of the judgements made by the umpires.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Harmanpreet yelled “bring the umpires too” to indicate they were a part of the Bangladesh team at the end-of-series photo with both sets of players. Nigar reportedly discussed it with BCB representatives before bringing her players back to the locker room shortly after.
“It’s entirely her fault. When questioned about the incident during the press conference, Nigar responded, “I have nothing to do with it. She may have displayed better manners as a player. I’m not sure what transpired, but having my crew present for the shot didn’t feel right. It wasn’t the appropriate setting. That is why we returned. Cricket is a sport that requires respect and discipline.
“The umpires wouldn’t give her out if she wasn’t out,” Nigar said in reference to the umpiring. They were competent umpires because they have officiated men’s international cricket matches. What will India say about the six dismissed players who were caught or run out, excluding Harmanpreet and Meghna’s wickets? We have honoured their judgement. Whether I agree with it or not, the umpire’s decision is final. Why weren’t we acting [like the Indian players]?
Mandhana claimed during the press conference that Harmanpreet erred because she was overcome by emotion and couldn’t accept the umpire’s ruling. Mandhana stated, “When you represent India, you want to win the game, and it happens in the heat of the moment. “I believe Harmanpreet thought she wasn’t out and wasn’t really thrilled with the decision made. That is what caused that [response]. Nothing significant is going on; simply the heat of the moment.
What took place in the midst is inherent to the game. These situations have occurred frequently in the past as well. These incidents take place when you really want India to get a “W” on the board.
Mandhana did urge the ICC to select impartial umpires going forward, though.
“In every game, there are times when the [decisions] really don’t sit well with you. We kind of expect a slightly better quality of umpiring in terms of some decisions, particularly when there is no DRS in a match in a series of this nature,” she remarked. “It was extremely clear that while our batters were at bat, not even a second thought was given when the ball hit the pad. Before the finger was raised, not even a single second of thinking had been spent.
“I’m confident that the ICC, BCB, and BCCI will have a more thorough discussion on that, and maybe we can have a neutral-umpiring system from maybe next time so that we don’t sit here having these discussions and maybe we can focus more on cricket and cricket-related questions,” said the ICC.
Separately, Harmanpreet criticised the BCB for failing to invite Pranay Kumar Verma, the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, to the presentation ceremony despite his presence at the venue. We could have welcomed our high commissioner from India here as well, but that’s also acceptable.
