Shakib Al Hasan's controversial 'no super over' stance ends Bangla Tigers' GT20 Canada 2024 campaign

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has landed himself in huge trouble once again. However, the controversy is far away from Bangladesh this time. Bangla Tigers Mississauga, which is led by Shakib Al Hasan, forfeited the all-important Eliminator match in the Global T20 Canada 2024.

As a result, Bangla Tigers Mississauga were knocked out of the tournament as they failed to turn up for the match and Toronto Nationals qualified for Qualifier 2. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Toronto Nationals as they went on to win the Qualifier 2 and even clinched the title by winning the final.

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Shakib Al Hasan's Bangla Tigers Mississauga forfeit their Eliminator in Global T20 Canada

The incident began when persistent rain did not allow the Eliminator clash between Bangla Tigers Mississauga and Toronto Nationals to start on time in Brampton, Ontario. The rain did not stop and the clock ticked past the cut-off time.

As a result, the match officials decided that a Super Over would be played between the two teams to force a result. The decision was communicated to both teams. Surprisingly, the decision was in line with the playing regulations of the tournament.

However, Shakib Al Hasan, Bangla Tigers Mississauga captain, decided to protest against the decision and did not turn up for the toss. which was organized just before the Super over. Bangla Tigers owner, Zafir Yasin, also came out in support of Shakib by saying that the organizers should have played at least five or ten overs match to decide the winner.

If the match had been completely washed out, Bangla Tigers Mississauga would have automatically qualified for Qualifier 2 as they finished higher on the points table in the group stage.

"It was all part of the regulations" - Joy Bhattacharjya

Joy Bhattacharjya, the CEO of GLT20, defended the tournament officials by saying that it was all part of the rules and regulations that were told before the tournament.

"We were trying to ensure there was a result either way, however heartbreaking as it may be for the team that loses a one-over shootout. And it was all part of the regulations," Bhattacharjya was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Bhattacharjya further claimed that the Super Over was not a sudden addition and the rules and regulations were the same for all the teams. He further added that damp conditions in the first match did not allow it to happen.

"It's not like the Super Over provision was brought in for just the game involving Bangla Tigers. It was in place for both games [Qualifier 1 and eliminator]. It's just that it wasn't possible for the first game, and because the second game happened much later in the day, there was a little more time for the ground staff to work on the outfield," Bhattacharjya said.

The first Qualifier washed out

Earlier, Qualifier 1 between Brampton Wolves and Montreal Tigers was washed out at the same venue because of continuous rain and wet ground conditions. The ground was so damp that even a Super Over could not be allowed. As a result, the Montreal Tigers reached the final by virtue of finishing higher on the points table.

After the delays, the toss was stated to take place at 7:10 pm while the Super Over was scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm. According to the rules and regulations, the game could have been called off if the Super Over did not begin by 7:50 pm. In that case, Bangla Tigers Mississauga would have qualified for the final.

"At the time of the toss, the Toronto Nationals captain was present, but the Bangla Tigers team refused to appear. The match referee explained the plausible consequences of the said action to the captain [Shakib Al Hasan] and thereafter the umpire subsequently awarded the match to Toronto Nationals," GLT20 said in a statement.

It is also believed that Bangla Tigers were not happy with the shortened boundaries before the official cut-off time to "remove the dangerous area of play from consideration".