The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially lodged a complaint with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) following a major regulatory breach during a recent Under-19 one-day international. Afghanistan captain Sohail Khan allegedly bowled 11 overs in a standard 50-over match, exceeding the mandatory 10-over limit per bowler.
- Afghanistan U19 captain Sohail Khan allegedly bowled 11 overs during the third match of the series on Wednesday.
- The Bangladesh Cricket Board has written to the ACB to highlight the discrepancy and general umpiring standards.
- Official scorers reportedly credited the extra over to Shah Faisal Rahimi, who did not actually bowl during that period.
- The BCB also flagged several controversial LBW and caught-behind decisions that occurred throughout the bilateral series.
The Scoring Discrepancy
The incident occurred during the third match of the youth series. According to Bangladesh U19 coach Hannan Sarkar, the team noticed the error while tracking the match via digital scorecards and their own internal analyst’s records. While the official limit for a single bowler in a 50-over contest is 10 overs, Sohail Khan, who is the team’s primary strike bowler, continued for an additional set of six deliveries.
Sarkar explained that the confusion arose when a different Afghan player initially approached the umpire to bowl. That player handed over his cap, but the captain, Sohail, changed his mind at the last moment and took the ball himself. The official scorer failed to notice the switch and attributed the over to Shah Faisal Rahimi. By the time the Bangladesh coaching staff realized the mistake, the over had already been completed, leaving them to raise the issue with match referee Yasir Latifzai after the game concluded.
Broader Umpiring Concerns
Beyond the extra over, the BCB has expressed significant dissatisfaction with the overall officiating throughout the series. The formal note sent to the ACB included video footage of the 11th over and detailed several instances of what the visitors deemed significant umpiring errors. These included critical LBW shouts and caught-behind appeals that were turned down during the match.
A BCB official confirmed that the communication was intended to make the ACB aware of the recurring issues and urged for greater vigilance in future matches. While the result of the match remains, the controversy has cast a shadow over the bilateral youth series, highlighting the need for stricter oversight in international age-group cricket to maintain the integrity of the game.
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