Umpire Saikat opens up on World Cup boycott rumors

Recently, there has been no end to the rumors surrounding Bangladesh cricket. As soon as the confusion over Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul's tour of Australia subsided, another piece of news has spread. ICC Elite Panel umpire Sharfuddaula Ibn Shaheed Saikat is reportedly going to boycott the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The ICC has excluded Bangladesh from the tournament for not wanting to play in India citing security reasons. In protest, there was talk on social media that Saikat had decided not to officiate matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, Saikat himself has clearly told the media that there is no basis for this rumor.

Saikat said that he has not commented anywhere on the World Cup boycott. He said, "I have been seeing it all day long, it is being said here and there that I am boycotting the T20 World Cup. This is completely false. I am an umpire in the ICC elite panel and I am going to cover the World Cup in a few days to fulfill that responsibility.’

He said that the matter of performing duties in the World Cup was not a hasty decision. Rather, his assignment was finalized through the ICC’s prescribed process a few months ago. As a result, there is no opportunity to withdraw from it now. Although he regrets the absence of the Bangladesh team, Saikat also clarified that professional duties are the main thing for him.

He said, ‘It is certainly difficult for a Bangladeshi to have the Bangladesh national team not in the World Cup. But the reality is, I am not here as a representative of Bangladesh, I am an ICC umpire. I have to fulfill my duties according to the ICC rules.’

Last year, Saikat became the first umpire from Bangladesh to be included in the ICC elite panel. He urged not to be confused by the rumors spread on social media, ‘There is no truth to these news and I am going to umpire in the World Cup as per the scheduled schedule.’