Although the International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to release a statement and reveal the kind of punishment India women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur will cop for her poor behaviour in Mirpur, Bangladesh, on Saturday, she could make history in the most inauspicious way. “Harmanpreet is in danger of becoming the first woman cricketer to be found guilty of a Level 2 breach of the ICC code of conduct, which deals with player behaviour,” said an ESPNCricinfo report on Monday.
The star Indian batswoman could be the first woman player to be banned for two matches after her outburst at the post-match presentation, where she allegedly told the Bangladeshi players that the umpires ought to be on stage too for their ‘performance.’ Hearing this, Bangladeshi skipper Nigar Sultana took her team back to the dressing room. Harmanpreet felt she had been subjected to a bad decision and deemed the umpiring “pathetic” after the deciding third ODI ended in a tie.
Former India women’s team captain Diana Edulji reacted sharply to Harmanpreet’s reaction, calling it “disappointing” and “unacceptable.” Edulji told mid-day: “The behaviour of the captain [Harmanpreet] was not up to the mark. It’s very disappointing with the way she behaved. You are the captain. You should lead the team and set an example because juniors are watching and they will react the same way.
‘Enough of stardom’
“Spur-of-the-moment anger is not acceptable. You know you are playing under ICC rules and luckily it was the last match of the series. I think the BCCI should take a strong view of this.” Harmanpreet was given out on 14, trying to sweep (caught Fahima Khatun at slip off Nahida Akter) by umpire Tanvir Ahmed. She smashed the stumps with her bat.
Diana Edulji
Edulji insisted that the Indian players should concentrate only on the game. She added: “You are making good money, but contribute 90 to 100 per cent to the game first. You will get more stardom by winning games. It is high time the BCCI tells these girls—enough of stardom, concentrate, put your feet on the ground and keep your mind on the game. If you want to really win against the bigger sides, you are going to have a problem.
“I agree, everybody wants to win, but umpiring is part and parcel of the game. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you don’t. The DRS [Decision Review System] sometimes gives you out wrongly. Everybody has the same—men and women. You have to take it in your stride. Now you have the Asian Games. These same teams—Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan—are going to be there. You are going to be in trouble if you can’t score big.” The Indian women tied the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh 1-1, while they won the T20I series 2-1.
‘Pathetic behaviour’
Meanwhile, India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team member S Madan Lal called for strong action on Harmanpreet. He tweeted: “Harmanpreet’s behaviour against the Bangladesh women’s team was pathetic. She is not bigger than the game. She got [sic] a very bad name for Indian cricket. BCCI should take very strict disciplinary action.” Harmanpreet, 34, has represented the country in three Tests, 127 ODIs and 154 T20Is.
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