Towhid Hridoy, captain of Dhaka Premier League (DPL) team Mohammedan, has been suspended for four matches by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for initially arguing with the umpires and later harshly criticizing them in front of the media.
After Mohammedan’s regular captain Tamim Iqbal was ruled out of the tournament due to a heart condition, Hridoy was given the leadership. On Saturday (April 12), Mohammedan defeated their arch-rivals Abahani, gaining a strong position in the race for the title. However, during that match, Hridoy got involved in an altercation with the umpires, for which he was handed a one-match suspension along with four demerit points.
But the matter didn’t end there. After the match, Hridoy again criticized the umpires in front of the media. Referring disdainfully to Sharafuddaula Ibne Shahid Saikat, the first Bangladeshi umpire to be included in the ICC Elite Panel, Hridoy said, “He is an international umpire; we are also international cricketers.” In a threatening tone, Hridoy added, “If things go further, I will speak out, In Sha Allah.”
Such defiant behavior clearly constitutes a Level 2 offense under Clause 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct. According to the regulations, a second match referee report can be submitted within 36 hours after the match for any post-match misconduct. Following this protocol, match referee Niamur Rashid, in his second report, described Hridoy’s post-match remarks as “inappropriate, indecent, and disrespectful towards the umpire,” awarding him another four demerit points.
As a result, Hridoy’s total demerit points rose to eight, leading to his four-match suspension.
Regarding Hridoy’s behavior, Iftekhar Mithu, Chairman of BCB’s Umpires and Match Referees Committee, told the media, “Hridoy’s behavior is extremely disappointing. As a national team player, disciplined behavior is expected from him. This punishment has been handed down to set an example so that no one behaves like this in the future.”
