Last week, a women’s ODI between India and Bangladesh witnessed a controversial incident when Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur lost her temper over an umpiring decision against her. The incident involved her expressing dissent at the umpire’s decision, hitting the stumps in protest, and arguing with the officials. As a result, she faced severe penalties and criticism, with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressing disappointment over her conduct.
During the match, Harmanpreet Kaur was given out following confident appeals from the Bangladesh bowlers. The Indian skipper, furious at the decision, hit the stumps in protest and continued to argue with the umpires as she walked back to the pavilion. After the match ended in a tie, with the series resulting in a 1-1 scoreline, Harmanpreet expressed her disappointment with the umpiring standards in the post-match presentation, calling it “pathetic.”
Harmanpreet was fined 50 per cent of her match fee for the Level 2 offence of showing dissent at an umpire’s decision and received three demerit points on her disciplinary record. Additionally, she was fined 25 per cent of her match fee for a Level 1 offence relating to public criticism of an incident occurring in an international match. These penalties have accumulated to four demerit points, which could result in her suspension from two international matches.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed his disappointment over Harmanpreet’s conduct, acknowledging that players may act out in the heat of the moment. However, he emphasized that such behaviour is uncommon in women’s cricket. Afridi stated that Harmanpreet’s actions during a major ICC event set a poor example and that controlled aggression was acceptable, but her outburst went too far.
“This is not just India. We’ve seen these things in the past as well. Although, we don’t see this often in women’s cricket. This was way too much and a big event under ICC. With the punishment, you set an example for the future. You can get aggressive in cricket; controlled aggression is good, but this was too much,” Afridi told Samaa TV.
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With four demerit points accumulated, Harmanpreet Kaur is facing the possibility of a suspension from two international matches. However, as no series are scheduled for the Indian team before the Asian Games in September, her suspension might lead to her missing the opening two games of the prestigious event in Hangzhou.
