Tamim Iqbal suffered a heart attack during a DPL match against Shinepukur at BKSP. Since then, he has been away from the field. In his absence, Towhid Hridoy has taken over as the captain of Mohammedan.
However, Hridoy has been banned for two matches due to a dispute with the umpire, meaning he will not be available for the Super League match against Gazi Group.
In light of this, former national team captain Tamim Iqbal is holding a press conference on Friday, April 25. Several other players from Mohammedan are expected to attend as well.
The incident occurred on April 12, during the final round-robin match of the DPL, when Hridoy had a heated argument with umpire Sharfuddoula Ibn Shahid Saikat during the match against Abahani Limited. As a result, Hridoy was handed a two-match suspension. Mohammedan Sporting Club appealed the decision, and the league authorities eventually reduced Hridoy's ban by one match.
Yesterday, BCB director and new CCDM (Cricket Committee for Domestic Cricket) convenor Nazmul Abedin Fahim confirmed that Hridoy's suspension had been reduced by one match.
He stated, "I believe we deviated slightly from the process. The decision to alter the internal bylaws and reduce the suspension was beyond the authority of this committee. We must now follow the previous rules and regulations."
Fahim continued, "Unfortunately, due to a prior incident, Hridoy was banned for two matches, but was allowed to play after just one. We can't reverse that. We will treat Hridoy's appearance against Agrani Bank as valid. Going forward, he will not be eligible to play in the next match against Gazi Group."
Although Hridoy missed the match against Legends of Rupganj, he captained Mohammedan during their match against Agrani Bank last Sunday. It later came to light that due to pressure from Mohammedan, the BCB's Umpires Committee allowed Hridoy to play, despite this being against the rules. The BCB's Umpires Division had no authority to reduce his suspension.
As a result, ICC Elite Panel umpire Saikat threatened to resign from his position with the BCB, and Enamul Haque Munni, the chair of the CCDM Technical Committee, also resigned. This sparked significant criticism of the BCB.
In response, the Technical Committee of the league has now reversed the decision to reduce Hridoy's suspension. Tamim Iqbal has called for a press conference in light of the ongoing controversy. It remains to be seen where the situation regarding Hridoy's suspension will go from here.
