Sports Desk:

An official from Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) announced on Sunday that the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) has reduced Towhid Hridoy’s two-match ban to one match.

MSC had appealed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) technical committee to reconsider the suspension imposed on Hridoy for his outburst toward the umpires.

“Yes, his ban has been reduced to one match,” said an MSC official, adding that they had formally requested the board to review the duration of the suspension.

Earlier, a CCDM official confirmed that Hridoy’s case had been referred to the BCB’s technical committee.

MSC captain Towhid Hridoy was initially handed a two-match suspension and fined Tk 80,000 for making an offensive remark toward elite panel umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat during a heated Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match.

According to officials, Hridoy received three demerit points and fine for his post-match comments directed at Saikat, Bangladesh’s only representative on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. Before that, he had already received four demerit points during the match for a separate code of conduct breach, which resulted in a one-match suspension. With the additional offence, Hridoy initially faced a two-match ban and accumulated a total of seven demerit points.

Pacer Ebadot Hossain was also penalised for his behaviour in the same match, receiving three demerit points and a fine of Tk 40,000.

Following the incident, Hridoy expressed frustration with the officiating but said his comments were made in the heat of the moment.

“In the heat of the moment, a lot can happen,” Hridoy said. “They [umpires] are human too, and humans make mistakes—we all do in our respective professions. But I believe that if a mistake is made, it should be acknowledged. If I make a mistake, I’ll own up to it. But if someone refuses to admit it and insists it wasn’t a mistake, that’s not acceptable.”

Despite his criticism, Hridoy acknowledged Saikat’s stature in international cricket.

“Of course, we respect him, he’s an international umpire, and we are international players too,” he added. “In on Sunday match, most of the players on both sides were internationals. In such a high-profile game, even one or two wrong decisions can make a massive difference.”