The Sri Lankan: In the second T20I of the series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, third umpire Masudur Rahman controversially overturned an on-field decision, which infuriated the visitors before the hosts won the match by 8 wickets to level the series 1-1.
In the fourth over of Bangladesh’s innings, opener Soumya Sarkar found himself at the center of a contentious decision. A delivery from Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Binura Fernando seemed to catch an edge off Soumya’s bat, and the on-field umpire Sharfuddoula raised his finger, signaling the dismissal.
However, Soumya was quick to review the decision, convinced that he hadn’t made contact with the ball. As the third umpire, Masudur Rahman, scrutinized the replay, tension mounted in the stadium. The big screen revealed a spike on Ultra-edge at the precise moment the ball passed the bat, leaving room for interpretation.
Umpire Rahman, after careful consideration, controversially overturned the decision, citing a “clear gap” between bat and ball. Despite a slight misalignment in the technology, he stood firm in his decision, leaving Sri Lankan players and their coach Chris Silverwood bewildered and irate.
The Sri Lankan team erupted in protest, surrounding the on-field umpire and questioning the legitimacy of the decision. Chris Silverwood even marched across the sightscreen to engage in a heated discussion with the fourth official, Tanvir Ahmed, expressing his team’s frustration and disbelief.
Meanwhile, Soumya, who was on 14 at the time, continued his innings, eventually scoring 26 valuable runs before being dismissed in the seventh over. His contribution proved crucial as Bangladesh went on to secure a hard-fought victory.