India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur took an unprecedented swipe at the umpires after the third match of the ODI against Bangladesh ended in a tie on Saturday. The tie in Dhaka meant the series ended 1-1, and Harmanpreet was displeased.
“The type of umpiring that was happening there, we were very surprised,” Kaur said in the post-match presentation. “The next time whenever we are coming to Bangladesh, we’ll have to make sure we have to deal with this kind of umpiring and accordingly, we’ll have to prepare ourselves,” she added.
In the decider on Saturday, India were all out for 225 in 49. 3 overs, equalling Bangladesh’s 225-4. Harmanpreet smashed the stumps after being given out for 14 during the chase, and later criticised the umpiring.
“Some pathetic umpiring was done, and we are really disappointed about some decisions given by the umpires,” she said. Local media reported that when both teams were attending a photo session, Harmanpreet shouted “bring the umpires too”, apparently suggesting they were part of the Bangladesh squad.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board official said that Harmanpreet could be fined 75 per cent of her match fee for her criticism of the umpires. Teammate Smriti Mandhana later defended Harmanpreet’s smashing of stumps. “She felt that she isn’t out. . . I just feel that it’s just the heat of the moment and nothing much,” Mandhana said.
