"Bangladesh will lodge an official complaint about the Durban Test" - BCB cricket operations chief Jalal Yunus
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is planning on filing an official complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The complaint will address South Africa's sledging as well as the umpiring during the recently concluded Durban Test between the two cricketing nations.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, BCB cricket operations chief Jalal Yunus confirmed that the board had already lodged a written complaint about the umpiring after the completion of the ODI series against the Proteas. He even claimed that the match referee had acted inappropriately with Bangladesh's team manager Nafees Iqbal.
Yunus disclosed that the BCB would complain to the ICC again about the things that transpired in the Test series opener in Durban. He said:
"We have already lodged one complaint about the umpiring after the ODI series. The match referee had initially misbehaved with our manager Nafees Iqbal but then softened when we gave him a written complaint. We will lodge another official complaint about this Test match."
Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque had also expressed his displeasure regarding the umpire while speaking in a post-match interview. He had suggested that the ICC should consider having neutral officials for the games.
The 30-year-old also pointed out that the umpires did not pay attention to the South African players' sledging during the encounter. He said:
"Sledging is quite normal but the umpires didn't seem to notice it. The umpiring in the match is not in our control but I think the ICC should think about bringing back neutral umpires."
Bangladesh lost the first fixture of the red-ball rubber against South Africa by 220 runs. The visitors were bundled out for a paltry score of 53 in the final innings of the match and suffered an embarrassing defeat.
1st test, Stumps day 5: South Africa won by 220 runs.
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It is worth mentioning that the Tigers came up with an inspiring performance in the 50-over format, securing a stunning 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa.
"There hasn't been impartial umpiring in this Test match" - Bangladesh Cricket Board's Jalal Yunus
Yunus went on to state that the Tigers were deprived of the early advantage on Day 1 of the Test, as play started late due to issues with the sightscreens. He highlighted that instead of starting early to make up for the lost time, the officials extended the lunch sessions. Yunus said:
"There hasn't been impartial umpiring in this Test match. It started on the first day. We were held up for half an hour at the start of the game because of the sightscreens. We were deprived of the initial advantage."
"To make up this half an hour, they extended the lunch session instead of starting early, which we usually see. It is definitely at the umpire's discretion but generally, we see them making up for lost time by starting early. These are subtle technical things."
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How do the ICC World Test Championship standings look like after South Africa’s huge win over Bangladesh? 👀
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Bangladesh and South Africa will resume their battle for one-upmanship on Friday (April 8). The two teams will square off in the final encounter of the series at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth