Watershed turns into Jessy's baptism by fire

As Shathira Jakir Jessy crossed the boundary ropes and stepped into the field to officiate the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Prime Bank Cricket Club in Mirpur on Thursday, she ventured into where no other female umpire of the country had gone before.

It was the first instance of a female umpire from Bangladesh to officiate a DPL match as an on-field umpire, although Jessy had made her debut as a match official in DPL earlier this season as a fourth umpire.

After debuting as an umpire in 2022, Jessy, a former Bangladesh women's team cricketer, has quickly risen in prominence, leading the wave of female match officials in Bangladesh.

She was named in the ICC development panel of umpires in March this year alongside three other female umpires from Bangladesh. In February this year, she officiated in the ACC Women's Premier Cup in Malaysia.

Given her recent exposure in international cricket and the stamp of approval from the ICC, her getting a chance to stand as an on-field umpire in a DPL game shouldn't have come as a total surprise.

However, both Mohammedan and Prime Bank management had their reservations when they learnt that Jessy would stand as one of the two on-field umpires.

"Yes, they were unhappy that BCB had appointed a female umpire, but the match had to go on," Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, chairman of Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) umpires' committee, told The Daily Star. "They did not make the complaint to me but did so to CCDM [Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis]," he added.

When asked about this, officials from both Mohammedan and Prime Bank denied lodging any complaints.

"We didn't know that a female umpire had been appointed for the match. We all know that the female umpires in Bangladesh don't have a lot of experience. We did not complain, but we expected umpires who regularly officiate in the DPL since it's a big game," Prime Bank team manager Sikder Abul Kashem Kongkon told The Daily Star yesterday.

Mohammedan's cricket organiser Tariqul Islam Titu echoed Sikder's statement.

"We felt that this match needed a better umpire, but we didn't make any official complaints," said Sikder.

The match, eventually, did have one controversial decision as Prime Bank's Mushfiqur Rahim was given out caught even though video footage revealed that the catcher, Abu Hider Rony, had seemingly touched the boundary ropes while completing the catch.

But as there are no third umpires in DPL, the on-field umpires depend on the fielder and captain's words, who had vouched that the catch was valid.

Prime Bank weren't happy with the call and showed their displeasure after the game by not honouring the custom of shaking hands with opponents.

Regarding Jessy's performance as an umpire, Prime Bank didn't have any complaints but Sikder informed that Mohammedan, who won the match by 33 runs, were not happy with an LBW call she made against one of their batters and an appeal against a Prime Bank batter that she had turned down.

Jessy, however, was satisfied with the entire experience and considered it a big "achievement".

"Although a dismissal is being talked about, I'm relieved the umpiring itself did not cause any controversy. The match referee was happy and both teams appreciated me. That's a big achievement," Jessy had said after the match. However, she refused to comment on the matter when The Daily Star called her yesterday. 

Considering the sweltering heat in Dhaka and the heated situation of the match, it was baptism by fire for Jessy. Deserving or otherwise, this watershed event in country's cricket indicates that similar experiences await others in line.