In the third World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Bangladesh was chasing a target of 157 runs after Afghanistan’s innings concluded in just 37.2 overs. An intriguing incident occurred during this chase, which led to discussions.
At the time of the incident, Bangladesh openers Tanzid Hasan and Liton Das were at the crease. The incident took place during a leg-before-wicket (LBW) appeal on the fourth ball of the third over, initiated by Mujeeb.
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena signaled that the ball had made contact with the bat, right in the midst of Afghanistan’s appeal. This action by Dharmasena raised eyebrows, as it diverged from the customary practice where umpires refrain from signaling anything to the bowling team until the completion of their appeal.
This wasn’t the first time Kumar Dharmasena had been using signals during appeals in World Cup matches. In the opening game between England and New Zealand, he had signaled that the ball was likely to go over the wickets.
While New Zealand still chose to review the decision, Afghanistan managed to retain their review, thanks to Dharmasena’s assistance. The issue has stirred discussion because umpires typically refrain from signaling any information to the bowling side before the appeal process is concluded.
— Vivek Pant (@ManasSingh45) October 7, 2023
Twitter users began to question Dharmasena’s signaling actions and expressed their frustration on their preferred social media platform.
