No DRS in Sylhet for now
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) experienced its latest organisational hiccup yesterday when, on the first day of matches of the Sylhet leg of the tournament, it emerged that there was no Decision Review System in place for players to challenge the umpires' calls. The reason given for this state of affairs was that the equipment was stuck at the Dhaka airport due to customs-related problems.
Less than four days had elapsed since BPL governing council member-secretary IH Mallick told reporters in Mirpur that the ongoing tournament's production was of such a high standard that it could only be seen 'in the IPL final, semifinal and in the World Cup.'
It seemed that cricket had once again become a gentleman's sport as despite some fifty-fifty decisions, no one challenged the umpires' calls. It was finally Mallick himself who did his best to clear the air.
“There has been some trouble between customs officials and C&F [clearing and forwarding] agents at the airport for the last three days,” Mallick told The Daily Star last night. “The equipment will reach Sylhet either tomorrow [Wednesday] or the day after [Thursday].”
It was learnt that each venue for the BPL -- Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram -- required specific calibrations, which is why the equipment in Dhaka could not be shifted over to Sylhet.
The ongoing sixth edition of the tournament started with similar controversy as, while including the DRS for the first time the powers that be neglected to include the Ultra Edge, Hot Spot or Snickometer, all of which determines whether the ball made contact with bat. The franchises were reportedly told beforehand that there would be no Ultra Edge, but it was brought in a week into the tournament after negative publicity was created when decisions were overturned without sufficient evidence. The excuse for the delay was that the Ultra Edge operator could not procure a visa.
Fans, and indeed players, will hope that the DRS makes it to Sylhet soon, along with operators with correct documentation.