The Bangladesh Cricket Board umpires committee chairman Nazmul Karim Tinku admitted their mistake of appointing a particular umpire in consecutive matches of a particular team in the Dhaka Premier League. Defending champions Legends of Rupganj alleged that umpire Jahangir Alam and Mizanur Rahman Milon were appointed in consecutive matches of Abahani Limited to give the team certain privileges.Legends also alleged that these two umpires were also appointed in some of their crucial matches with special assignment.
Legends had earlier sent a letter requesting the BCB not to deploy six umpires, including Jahangir and Mizanur, in their matches.
The BCB paid little heed to the request and appointed at least one of these umpires in four of their last five matches.
Jahangir and Mizanur were also entrusted to conduct crucial their matches against Prime Bank, which they lost by 95 runs.
True to their claim, Jahangir conducted the last three matches involving Abahani and Mizanur was earlier involved in at least four consecutive matches of the club.
Umpires committee chairman Tinku said he had no knowledge about them of getting consecutive matches of Abahani.
‘Human beings are prone to mistake, you cannot deny it,’ he told reporters on Thursday. ‘But you guys [media] are here so please show us if we make any mistake.
‘It [the appointment of Jahangir and Mizanur in consecutive Abahani matches] happened because of shuffling. We will see that the same umpire does not get three or four consecutive matches of a team.’
Tinku argued that they had to rely on these umpires as currently there are umpire shortages.
‘We had a series going on in Chittagong and our six international umpires were involved there, so we could not deploy them,’ he said.
‘We have only 31 umpires in our panel and we had to select umpires from them.’
Asked if all panel umpires got equal number of matches, the umpires committee chairman, could not provide any satisfactory answer.
Legends alleged that the umpires committee deliberately sidelined few umpires as they could not implement their specific assignment.
The holders alleged that the umpires committee effectively suspended Gazi Sohel for the same reason.
Sohel was one of the on-field umpires in Abahanai-Legends match, a game which the reigning champions won.
He conducted a match between Kalabagan KC and Partex SC the next day, but has remained sidelined since then.
Tinku denied that the umpire was suspended.
‘It’s wrong, we did not suspend him,’ said Tinku. ‘If someone does not get three or four matches it gives an impression that may be this umpire is punished. But Today I wanted to deploy him for the match, but he refused and requested to give him a match from the next round.’
Tinku promised they will deploy reputed umpires from the next round matches.
‘Now we don’t have international matches, so we will be able be give better umpires in matches,’ he said. ‘If necessary we will bring foreign umpires in Super League.’
-With New Age input
