Smriti Mandhana questions umpiring standards in concluded series against Bangladesh

The ODI series between India and Bangladesh ended in a very thrilling fashion with the decider going down the wire into the last over and ending in a tie. However it was not free of its share of controversies. Captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her displeasure at the umpiring by smashing the stumps and calling the umpiring standard pathetic after being given out. While the trophy was being shared, Harmanpreet Kaur apparently said, ”Bring the umpires as well”. This did not go well with the Bangladesh captain, Nigar Sulthana who said, "She could have been more well mannered. It didn’t feel right to be there. It was not the right environment.”

 Cricketing star Smriti Mandhana backed up her captain. During a media interaction,  Mandhana said, “In some matches you are really not happy with the decisions and especially when there is no DRS ( Decision Review System), we expect a better level of umpiring. It was very evident, when the ball was hitting the pad when our batters were batting, there was no second thought given before raising the finger. It’s all part and parcel and we will take everything in our stride, just trying to be a little positive about everything. I am sure that ICC, BCB, and BCCI will have a discussion on this and we can have a neutral umpiring system from next time, so that we can focus more on cricket and cricket orienting questions.”