While the crucial Dhaka Premier League (DPL) is ongoing and the national team is playing a Test series against Zimbabwe, all of this has been overshadowed. The hottest topic in the cricketing community right now is Hridoy and his controversial actions.
It all started during a high-voltage DPL match between Abahani and Mohammedan, where Hridoy displayed disrespectful behavior towards the country’s top elite umpire, Sharfuddoula. His aggressive gestures toward the umpire on the field left cricket fans furious. But Hridoy didn’t stop there.
In a post-match discussion with the media, Hridoy arrogantly said, “If he (Sharfuddoula) is an international umpire, then I am also an international player.”
What followed was unprecedented in the country’s cricket history. A group of players led by Tamim Iqbal went to meet the board president to protest the punishment given to Hridoy. Under pressure from them, Hridoy’s remaining one-match suspension was astonishingly suspended for one year. Some have described this player-driven pressure as “mob justice” in cricket.
However, Hridoy showed no signs of remorse for his misconduct. On the contrary, after the BCB president reduced his suspension, he was seen laughing broadly alongside Tamim.
The very next day, Hridoy faced a second round of punishment. In the match against Gazi Group, the Mohammedan cricketer once again displayed unprofessional behavior—this time standing still at the crease even after being given out.
Avi Abdullah Al Noman, head of the Umpires Committee and a member of the DPL’s Technical Committee, said that Hridoy didn’t even attend the disciplinary hearing after being called. “For expressing frustration toward the umpire and skipping the hearing, the match referee imposed a punishment of one demerit point and a fine of 10,000 Taka,” said Avi Abdullah.
There had already been considerable drama regarding Hridoy’s previous suspension in the DPL. Now, it remains to be seen whether he will face a four-match ban due to accumulating eight demerit points. However, considering the past drama, it’s uncertain whether the BCB will be able to enforce a punishment this time.
Regardless of whether BCB takes strict action or not, cricket fans across the country are fed up with Hridoy’s behavior. Expressing his anger, a netizen named Nesar Ahmed Khan Sumon wrote, “He has become too arrogant, he should be suspended for two years.” Another fan, Shawon Islam, posted on social media, “He should be banned from domestic cricket for a year.” Meanwhile, a Facebook user named Moinul Islam Jewel demanded that Hridoy be suspended from the national team for one year.
