Bangladesh to Lay Formal Complaint Protesting Alleged Bias Umpiring and "Unbearable" Abuse by Proteas Players

Bangladesh to Lay Formal Complaint Protesting Alleged Bias Umpiring and "Unbearable" Abuse by Proteas Players

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:59 PM
  • Bangladesh will lay a complaint with the International Cricket Council following their 220 run loss against South Africa
  • The complaint will be based on alleged biased umpiring as well as incessant sledging from Proteas players
  • There were several poor calls by normally ultra-reliable umpires Marais Erasmus and Adrian Holdstock, who are both South African

Bangladesh will lay a complaint with cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council; alleging bias umpiring and incessant sledging from Proteas players following their match in Durban.

The team and its management was unhappy after several calls went against them from the normally reliable South African umpires Marais Erasmus and Adrian Holdstock.

bangladesh, south africa, cricket, test match, durban, kingsmead, odi, adrian holdstock, marais erasmus, bias, sledging, andy pycroft, umpires, umpiring, abuse, insults
Bangladesh's Ebadot Hossain banters with South Africa's Sarel Erwee, with umpire Marais Erasmus looking to intervene. Image source: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

Bangladeshi players have also since complained about on-field insults which they say went too far and against the spirit of the game.

Bangladesh Cricket Board cricket operations chief Jalal Yunus was quoted by the AFP as saying:

"You all have seen how biased the umpiring was. On the field, sledging was also unbearable. We will write a formal complaint to the ICC match referee manager."

Jalal said they raised similar issues to match referee Andy Pycroft after their 2-1 one-day international series win, their first on South African soil, adding:

"Our manager spoke to him several times. But he paid no attention to our complaint," Jalal said by phone from Durban. We want the ICC to appoint neutral umpires in test series as soon as possible. We are also ready to welcome neutral umpires in our home series."

Umpires from host countries have been used exclusively since 2020, when the pandemic imposed worldwide travel restrictions, and South African umpires Marais Erasmus and Adrian Holdstock were standing in the Durban test.

Skipper Mominul Haque said umpires did not intervene when South African players sledged their Bangladeshi opponents, stating:

"Sledging is a normal thing. But if it comes to the stage of abuse, that is very bad. I think they abused us in the worst manner and umpires did not notice."

South Africa won by 220 runs in Durban after the tourists' batting collapse in the second innings.

The second test will start in Gqeberha on April 8.

Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj destroys Bangladesh with spinning wizardry in Durban as South Africa wins

It was a historic Monday morning at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban as South Africa crushed Bangladesh by 220 runs.

As reported on Sports Brief, Keshav Maharaj took seven wickets for 32 runs as the Proteas dismissed the Tigers for an embarrassing 53 runs, chasing 273 runs for victory.

Maharaj was in devastating tandem with fellow spinner Simon Harmer, who took three wickets for 21 runs.

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Keba Mothoagae
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