Bangladesh have blamed fake fielding by India’s Virat Kohli for their nailbiting T20 World Cup loss and will raise it with the ICC.
India won by five runs in the rain-hit Adelaide clash on Wednesday that went to the last ball, all but destroying Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the first time.
Afterwards, vice-captain Nurul Hasan alleged that onfield umpires had missed a “fake throw” by Kohli that could have tied the match.
“It could have been a five-run penalty,” he told reporters. “That also could have gone our way, but unfortunately … that didn’t materialise.”
The incident took place in the seventh over of Bangladesh’s innings, moments before rain stopped play, when Liton Das played the ball towards the deep off-side field off Axar Patel.
As India’s Arshdeep Singh threw the ball back, Kohli – standing at point – feigned a throw as the ball whistled past him.
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Umpires Marais Erasmus and Chris Brown didn’t take action, despite Liton and non-striking batsman Najmul Hossain pointing it out, according to a BCB official.
The ICC is scheduled to hold a board meeting in Melbourne next week during the tournament and Bangladesh will raise the matter “if an opportunity comes”, BCB cricket operations chief Jalal Yunus said.
“We will discuss the issues wherever we get a chance to discuss,” he added. “It’s not a protest because there is no benefit of doing it now.”
Yunus also said Bangladesh’s chances in the match had been stymied by a slippery pitch after the resumption, halting the openers’ momentum after a blazing 21-ball fifty from Liton.
Play resumed after a 45-minute hiatus and Bangladesh were given a revised target of 151 runs from 16 overs, chasing India’s 184-6.
Liton slipped as he turned for a second run in the second ball after the stoppage and was then run out for 60 off 27 balls.
Bangladesh fell to 145-6 to concede a narrow defeat.
Bangladesh, who have four points from two wins over the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, play their final Super 12 match against Pakistan at the same Adelaide ground on 6 November.
© Agence France-Presse
