‘Umpiring didn’t cause any controversy’
Former Bangladesh women's team cricketer Shathira Jakir Jessy, who is part of the ICC development panel of umpires, became the first female on-field umpire in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) on Thursday when she officiated the match between Mohammedan and Prime Bank in Mirpur. The match got heated surrounding the controversial dismissal of Prime Bank's Mushfiqur Rahim, who was given out caught but the fielder's foot had seemingly touched the boundary ropes while completing the catch. Jessy shared her experience of officiating that game and spoke about her upcoming assignments in an interview with The Daily Star's Abdullah Al Mehdi.
The Daily Star (DS): How was the experience of officiating in a first-class men's game?
Shathira Jakir Jessy (SJJ): It was a huge thing. I have done international matches before but doing a men's List A match was something different. At times it was definitely more difficult than officiating in international games. There were many national team players, so there was pressure. Their appeals were also quite loud and turning them down confidently was difficult. But thankfully, I completed my task well. I also didn't know how the guys would accept me but everyone accepted me very well. Seniors like Mushfiqur [Rahim] bhai and [Mahmudullah] Riyad bhai were there and I am acquainted with them, so that helped.
DS: How did you handle the controversy surrounding Mushfiqur's dismissal?
SJJ: When Tamim [Iqbal] bhai and Mushfiqur bhai were talking, they were doing it very politely. And the law plainly states that the umpires have to believe what the fielder says if he or she has not seen the incident with his or her own eyes.
DS: Experiencing such a heated match in your first DPL game, what was that like?
SJJ: It was great. Truth be told, the more pressure situations you face the more you learn about your capabilities. We have to make decisions in a very short time and keeping up with these challenges, this heat and giving good decisions makes me feel that I've made a great start. Although a dismissal is being talked about, I'm relieved the umpiring itself did not cause any controversy. The match referee was happy and both teams appreciated me. That's a big achievement.
DS: What was it like umpiring in such heat?
SJJ: It was obviously difficult. But we don't keep these things in mind when we go onto the field. I have played in similar weather. At Chandigarh, I officiated a game in 42 degrees. But that was a T20. This was the first time that I officiated under intense temperatures in a one-day game.
DS: Your thoughts on the upcoming Women's Asia Cup where you are set to officiate?
SJJ: After the ACC Premier Cup they told me that I am in the panel. They also told BCB. It will most likely happen in July but official documents have not arrived yet.
DS: And what about the Bangladesh-India WT20I series?
SJJ: The DPL game was great preparation for me before the India series. Whatever happens, I won't be under this much pressure officiating in that series.
DS: Do you think your success has inspired others to take up umpiring?
SJJ: Actually right now many girls are very interested. There was an umpiring exam recently and 30-35 girls took the exam, which included many ex-Bangladesh players and even ex-captains. Most of the players want to take up umpiring and if they come, the standard would definitely improve further.