Towhid Hridoy banned again, Sharfuddoula Saikat resumes duties after BCB apology
A big Dhaka Premier League (DPL) game between Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club on April 12 was the start of the trouble. On the field, Mohammedan captain Towhid Hridoy got into a heated fight with umpire Saikat. Things got worse when Hridoy said, "If he's an international umpire, I'm an international player too," after the game.

Khan Mutasim Billah LifeEditor
Posted - 2025-04-23T22:51:24+06:00
Updated - 2025-04-23T22:51:24+06:00
Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, Bangladesh's only ICC Elite Panel umpire, has changed his mind about quitting his job at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The move comes after the BCB's Umpires Committee officially admitted fault and Towhid Hridoy's original ban was lifted after rules violations were found.
A big Dhaka Premier League (DPL) game between Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club on April 12 was the start of the trouble. On the field, Mohammedan captain Towhid Hridoy got into a heated fight with umpire Saikat. Things got worse when Hridoy said, "If he's an international umpire, I'm an international player too," after the game.
Because of this rage and the way he behaved on the field, Hridoy was suspended for two games for verbal abuse, being disrespectful to a top-level umpire, and dissent.
Things took an unexpected turn, though, when the BCB's Umpires Committee, which had nothing to do with the case, stepped in and lowered Hridoy's ban from two games to one. This ruling was made even though Mohammedan's plea was turned down by the DPL Technical Committee.
People in the cricket community were shocked when Saikat, who was Bangladesh's first and only ICC Elite Panel umpire, quit his job with the BCB because of the illegal decision. He was angry and disappointed with the situation.
After Saikat and the head of the Umpires Committee, Iftekhar Ahmed Mithu, talked, things calmed down. The committee realized they had gone too far with the procedure and accepted it. Saikat agreed to withdraw his retirement, which made a lot of people in the Bangladesh cricket community happy.
To make things right, Hridoy's original two-match ban was reinstated. Now, the DPL Technical Committee has given him a one-match suspension again, which means he will miss Mohammedan's next Super League game.
It caused changes within the committee as well. Because the BCB was getting in the way, former national referee Enamul Haque Moni quit as head of the DPL Technical Committee. Nazmul Abedeen Fahim has now taken his place and is supposed to keep the process honest going forward.