Towhid Hridoy showed disrespectful behavior toward Bangladesh’s first ICC Elite Panel umpire, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, during a Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match. Following this inappropriate conduct, Hridoy made further careless comments to the media, resulting in a two-match suspension for the national team cricketer.
However, when his team, Mohammedan, appealed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the punishment was reduced. His two-match suspension was cut down to one. After serving the reduced suspension, Hridoy returned to play in the DPL Super League. But in the process of reducing his suspension, BCB ended up changing one of its own rules.
According to the BCB’s Code of Conduct, players receiving 4–7 demerit points were to be suspended for 2 matches. Hridoy had received 7 demerit points and was suspended accordingly. However, upon appeal, 4 demerit points were removed, which lowered his suspension to one match.
Additionally, the Code of Conduct states that 8–11 demerit points warrant a 4-match suspension, 12–15 demerit points lead to a 6-match suspension, and 16 or more result in an 8-match suspension.
But mid-tournament, BCB changed the rules. Under the new Code of Conduct, players with 4–7 demerit points will now face only a 1-match suspension. For 8–11 demerit points, the suspension is now 3 matches. Similarly, 12–15 points result in 5-match bans, and 16 or more lead to a 7-match suspension. As a result, Hridoy’s suspension was reduced from 2 matches to 1.
The mid-tournament rule change has sparked considerable controversy. Many are viewing this with suspicion—was the rule change made simply to benefit Mohammedan? This question is being raised strongly within the cricketing community.
