Towhid Hridoy lashes out at umpires following Bangladesh’s heartbreaking loss to South Africa

Playing a tenacious 37-run knockoff of 34 balls, Towhid Hridoy bemoaned some of the umpiring calls that turned out to be crucial in the finish of the game. The on-field umpire declared Mahmudullah leg before wicket in the seventeenth over. Nevertheless, Bangladesh effectively employed DRS, saving the seasoned batter. The hitter was given out even though the ball had reached the fine-leg fence; thus, it was deemed dead.

On Monday, June 10, at the Nassau Cricket Stadium in New York, Bangladesh lost to South Africa by an agonising four runs. Fans and experts alike have been critical of the umpiring during the match, with several of the calls drawing heavy criticism.

The Tigers, ironically, lost the low-scoring thriller by just four runs. Towhid Hridoy claimed that the umpire had unfairly called an out for a leg before the wicket and that a few wides had gone uncalled throughout the play.

“In such a close game, to be honest, that was a bad call for us. The umpire, in my opinion, called that, but it was somewhat harsh on us. According to Cricbuzz, Hridoy told reporters after the game, “Those four runs could have changed the match scenario.”

“I am not in charge of the laws. Those four runs were crucial at the time. Umpires are also humans and are capable of making errors when making calls. A few times, they gave wides, but they also didn’t give them. One or two runs are significant in this type of arena, where low-scoring games are played. In my opinion, there is still room for improvement because the umpire called me out and those four runs or those two wides were close calls.

Replays revealed that Towhid Hridoy was out leg before wicket (LBW) after a delivery by Kagiso Rabada that was close to clipping the leg stump. Before being dismissed, Bangladesh was coasting, needing just twenty runs off of eighteen deliveries with two established batsmen at the crease. Since it was difficult for rookie hitters to adjust to the challenging conditions, the gifted young player acknowledged that he should have completed the game.

“We were actually pretty confident after that score, and I should have won the game from that position. It is challenging for a novice batter to adapt to the circumstances. That’s how I should have ended the game,” Hridoy remarked.

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With five wickets already taken, Bangladesh needed to score 11 runs in the last over to meet their target of 114 runs. Despite bowling a wide, missing a run-out opportunity, and finishing with two full tosses, Keshav Maharaj’s side was unable to cross the finish line. Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team lost by four runs after being held to 109/7.