Nidahas Trophy: Heated celebrations damage Bangladesh's dressing room door
What's the story?
The dressing room door of the Bangladesh team was found shattered amidst heated celebrations following the side's win against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy match at Colombo yesterday.
Though the exact reason for the same remains unknown – it is believed that the damage was probably done by an insider belonging to the visiting dressing room as several Bangladesh players rushed to the field to celebrate the win - the incident has attracted the attention of the match referee Chris Broad, who has demanded appropriate footage to identify the players.
In case you didn't know...
In the final round-robin match of the tournament, both hosts Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were in a must-win situation in order to qualify for the final. Sri Lanka were inserted to bat after which a stand of 97 between Kusal Perera and captain Thisara Perera propelled them from 41/5 to 159/7.
The match went down to the wire with Bangladesh moving along well until Mushfiqur Rahim's wicket in the thirteenth over sparked a collapse. With one over to go, they needed 12 to win with three wickets in hand and had only Mahmudullah at the crease to help them cross the line.
The first ball from Isuru Udana was a bouncer – and thus a dot ball – while the second one was also short enough to be adjudged the same. Mustafizur Rahman missed it and ran at the non-striker's end to bring Mahmudullah back on strike, but amidst all that, the square leg umpire seemed to have first raised his hand to signal a no-ball, but then relented on discussions with his on-field colleague.
Mustafizur was eventually run out, but his captain Shakib al Hasan did not like the outcome and was seen in an animated discussion on the boundary line with the reserve umpire.
The heart of the matter
While the controversy on the field was going on, a Bangladesh substitute was seen indulging in a serious exchange of words with some of the Sri Lanka players. Mahmudullah was busy making an animated case for the no-ball to be called, following which Shakib called back his batsmen to protest the umpires' call.
After the game was halted for a few minutes, Bangladesh had Mahmudullah on strike to knock down the required runs. With 12 to win off 4 balls, he hit four, ran a two and then sent the third ball sailing over the square leg boundary. Thus, Bangladesh entered the final with Sri Lanka eliminated. That followed the involvement of Kusal Mendis in a tense altercation with the celebrating Bangladesh team, with Tamim Iqbal observed to be calming him down on the way to the dressing room.
What's next?
The final of the Nidahas Trophy takes place between both visiting teams India and Bangladesh at Colombo on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team management has offered to pay for the harm caused to the dressing room door in the time that match referee Broad investigates the incident.
Author's take
Ugly scenes marring a sports game are the most unwelcome sights that fans and followers can witness. Such cases also lead to a negative influence on the youngsters watching and admiring their heroes, who end up setting the wrong example on the field.