ICC elite umpire Sharafuddaula Saikat is umpiring in India, BCB clarified – no dispute because…

Dhaka: Umpire Sharafuddaula Ibne Shahid Saikat is currently in India as a match official in the ongoing ODI series between the hosts and New Zealand as he is a contracted umpire of the ICC, a Bangladesh Cricket Board official said on Sunday. While the BCB said that they are not ready to go to India to play in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup due to security reasons following the recent dispute between the two boards over the release of Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the upcoming IPL, many eyebrows were raised after Saikat was seen as the TV umpire in the first ODI at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday.

BCB umpire department chairman Iftekhar Rahman told Cricbuzz on Sunday that Saikat does not need any no-objection certificate from the board as as per his contract, he is free to leave whenever the ICC requires his services. Saikat, who is an elite ICC umpire and has also umpired a few matches in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League T20 tournament, is currently serving as the head of the BCB’s umpire education department. Iftekhar said, “He (Saikat) is a contracted umpire of ICC and we are clearly saying that he has no contract with us (BCB).”

“Now, it is written in our contract that whenever he has any ICC assignment, he will automatically go on leave from us. It will be automatic leave and I do not need to give any NOC. It is written in his job contract with me that if he has any ICC assignment, he will be automatically released. I have no authority to decide whether I give permission or not.”

Saikat and ICC international umpire Ghazi Sohail are expected to join as match officials in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka.