Distrust or dysfunction?

It was a fixture Bangladesh were supposed to win in this World Cup. They won it quite convincingly in the end, disposing of Afghanistan by 62 runs in Southampton last night.

Going into the match, the task at hand for the Tigers was to thwart the Afghan spin threat. They were successful in patches, but it was still not as satisfying as their fans would have liked. They neutralised leg-spinner Rashid Khan, but still looked shaky against off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who picked up three wickets at crucial stages of the game.

The Tigers changed their batting order to counter Mujeeb. But the ploy of sending Liton Das to open the innings with Tamim Iqbal instead of Soumya Sarkar backfired.

Liton was dismissed early to Mujeeb and the sharp catch taken at short cover by Hasmatullah Shahidi created a storm on social media. Replays could not conclusively show whether the ball was taken cleanly, but third umpire Aleem Dar bore the brunt of the disapproval from loyal Tigers fans for complying with the on-field umpire’s soft signal, which was out.

There were two other decisions in Bangladesh’s innings that went against them. Shakib was adjudged leg before early in his innings. He decided to review it. When replays showed the ball flew over the three stumps, it turned out to be a huge moment for the Tigers. Shakib went on to score a crucial 51 to salvage the Tigers from a precarious position to a comfortable 262 on a slow and turning wicket, where India were restricted to a modest 218 against the same opposition the other day.

Coming in to bat at number five, Soumya was also adjudged leg-before on three. He also reviewed, but unsuccessfully. However, had the on-field umpire’s call been not out, he would have survived because replays showed the ball had just brushed his leg stump.

Those were not contentious decisions. But you can debate those umpiring rulings as much as you may contest Bangladesh’s decision to change the batting order. If Bangladesh’s decision was anything other than not trusting in the strengths that have so far been successful in the tournament, then not totally trusting technology when it comes to reviewing the on-field umpires’ decision perhaps falls in the same category.

Soumya was dismissed by the same bowlers from whom the Bangladesh team management decided to hide him at the start of the innings. It was perhaps unfair to the left-hander if he had he not volunteered.

This World Cup has been tainted by some umpiring errors of judgement. But more than those, the double standards -- when dismissals hinge on the umpire’s initial call as a ball missing by 50 per cent can go either way -- have come under fire. There is also a grey area where the batsman gets the benefit of the doubt when replays and technology prove inconclusive.

It is about time the game’s ruling body brings uniformity in decision-making if they are to trust technology, which has certainly added value in correcting on-field umpiring errors.

Mistakes are part of the game. But some mistakes hurt you most. Thankfully, Bangladesh escaped unhurt against Afghanis in what was a massive game for them to stay afloat in the last-four race.

The Tigers will take on India in their next World Cup fixture on July 2. India are one of the best teams in the World Cup and it would be a monumental task for the Tigers to win against them. They came tantalisingly close on a few occasions in recent years. Their fans blamed those defeats on luck more than their ability to hold their nerves when it mattered most.

Luck certainly has something to do with success. Shakib was lucky last night. The Tigers will need more of that if they are to keep on dreaming.