Controversy as Mohammedan awarded match
Mohammedan Sporting Club was awarded full points by match officials after Brothers Union refused to play in a controversial Dhaka Premier League game at the BKSP-4 ground in Savar yesterday.
According to match referee Akhtar Ahmad, Brothers did not take the field following the rain break.
Brothers skipper Mohammad Sharif however said that they were not officially informed by the match officials about the exact time to resume the game, which led to chaotic scenes.
Rain stopped play after Mohammedan posted 316 for nine in fifty overs, riding on Irfan Shukkur's 92 along with fifties from Avishek Mitra and Raqibul Hasan as Brothers were set a revised target of 174 in twenty overs.
Despite umpires and Mohammedan cricketers waiting on the field for the Brothers batsman for nine minutes the match referee eventually handed full points to Mohammedan due to Brothers' refusal to play.
"Some part of the pitch was wet -- the area where normally the ball is not supposed to pitch -- after water seeped through holes in the cover. But still we waited for the sunlight to soak it up and only after that the umpires decided to resume play. Generally, both teams are informed at least 10 minutes before the start of play and both the captains were also informed at 3.55 pm that the game will resume on 4.06 pm," match referee Akhtar told the reporters.
According to the match referee he is unaware of the exact reason why Brothers actually refused to play.
On the other hand Brothers skipper Sharif informed that they were ready to play but before they knew what was happening the match officials handed Mohammedan full points.
"Some part of the pitch was wet and there was a chance for the batsman to slip while running but despite that we did not have any objection to play. But we were not informed officially. Around 3.57 pm the umpires told us that the game may resume at 4.06pm, which means it was still not confirmed. Before saying that they were discussing that as the pitch was still wet there was no chance for the game to take place. But all of a sudden, the umpires entered the field and we were told that our revised target was 174 runs from 20 overs. I told the match officials to inform the details officially and they said it was going to be done," Sharif told the reporters yesterday.
Brothers officials further said that they would give a letter to the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), while according to the CCDM chairman, they will take the matter seriously.
"CCDM has always remained strict in such incidents in the past and we will take the matter seriously and will take further action," CCDM chairman Kazi Inam told The Daily Star.