Bangladesh suffered a narrow four-run defeat to South Africa in their second T20 World Cup match. Bangladeshi fans believe they were unjustly deprived of four crucial runs when a delivery struck Mahmudullah Riyad's pad and crossed the boundary rope. However, a controversial ICC rule meant no runs were awarded to Bangladesh. The incident occurred in the 17th over of Bangladesh's innings. Mahmudullah attempted to flick a delivery from Ottneil Baartman but missed, the ball hitting his front pad before deflecting to the boundary. South Africa appealed for LBW, and umpire Sam Nogajski raised his finger. Mahmudullah immediately sought a DRS review, which revealed the ball was missing leg stump, overturning the dismissal.  However, the boundary was not added to Bangladesh's total due to the existing ICC rule stating that once an umpire makes an out or not-out decision, the ball becomes dead, regardless of the DRS outcome. The impact of this incident proved significant, as Bangladesh ultimately lost the match by precisely four runs—the exact number denied due to the controversial rule. Fakhrul continues to hammer govt's handling of the economy, breakdown of institutions This has ignited widespread controversy in the cricketing world, raising questions about the fairness of the rule. Former Bangladesh captain and opener Tamim Iqbal urged the ICC to seriously reconsider this rule. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, alongside South African Morne Morkel, Tamim suggested that umpires should take a few more seconds to make such crucial calls. “You have time, you can wait a couple of seconds to see where the ball is going—whether it's going for a boundary or not. Then you can make your decision. Regardless of anything, I strongly feel that if the batter is not out and the ball hits their thigh pad or pad and goes for a boundary, it should be given as runs,” Tamim said. “This is something the ICC can seriously look into,” the former Bangladesh captain added, acknowledging that he may sound biased but expressing his genuine sentiment. Morkel echoed Tamim's sentiments, saying that he hopes for a rule change after the World Cup. Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer also criticized the current law, taking to social media to express his disapproval. “Mahmudullah was wrongly given out LBW, the ball went for four leg byes. The decision was reversed on DRS. Bangladesh didn't get the 4 runs as the ball is dead once the batter is given out, even if wrongly,” he wrote on his social media account. T20 World Cup: Bangladesh fall agonisingly short in low run chase against South Africa With a fresh scar of a heartbreaking defeat, Bangladesh team has now arrived in the West Indies for their next two matches against the Netherlands and Nepal. They, with a win in the first match against Sri Lanka, still have a good chance of qualifying for the next round of the tournament.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today announced the squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, taking place next month in the USA and West Indies. Taskin Ahmed was uncertain due to a muscle injury, but he was eventually added to the squad as the vice-captain.  Mohammad Saifuddin, who played in the last home series against Zimbabwe, but he is overlooked for the World Cup. Instead of Saifuddin, Bangladesh selected Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Read more: Why Delay in Bangladesh's World Cup Squad Announcement? Bangladesh's campaign begins on June 7, against Sri Lanka in Dallas, followed by a match against South Africa in New York on June 10. The team will then travel to the West Indies for their remaining two first-round matches. Prior to the tournament, Bangladesh will play a practice-match against India in New York on June 1 and a three-match T20I-Series against the hosts, USA, in Houston. This series will also feature the World Cup Squad. Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Abdur Razzak, and and Hannan Sarkar were present at the squad announcement. Gazi Ashraf, the chief selector, announced the squad. Read more: Will Taskin Ahmed Make the Cut for T20 World Cup? Bangladesh Squad for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed (vice-captain), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Sheikh Mahedi, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Reserves: Hasan Mahmud and Afif Hossain.