The Under-19 World Cup final ended on a controversial note with players of the two teams seen engaging in an ugly altercation after Bangladesh clinched their maiden U19 World Cup title after defeating 4-time champion India in a closely contested final by 3 wickets (DLS method) to claim their first-ever ICC trophy at any level at Potchefstroom in South Africa on Sunday.
U19 World Cup Final 2020
After India set up a total of 177 runs, the target was revised as rain interrupted play during Bangladesh’s chase. Through DRS calculations, Bangladesh’s chase was adjusted to 170 which they gunned down with 23 balls to spare and 3 wickets in hand.
The spat took place which also turned physical after Bangladesh’s Rakibul Hasan hit the winning runs and the entire Bangladesh team including their support staff came running onto the field. Apparently something was said to the Indian players by the Bangladesh cricketers which did not go down well and the matter soon spiraled into a fight which involved some pushing and shoving on the field, leaving a Bangladeshi flag damaged in the process.
Akbar Ali, the Bangladesh captain said at the post-match press conference, “What happened, it should not [have] happened. I don’t know what exactly happened. I didn’t ask what was going on. But, you know, in the final, emotion can come out, and sometimes the boys were getting pumped, and emotions were coming through. As a youngster, it shouldn’t happen. In any position, in any manner, we have to show respect to the opponent, we should have respect for the game. Cricket is known for being a gentleman’s game. So I’ll say, I’ll be sorry for my team.”
At the post-match conference, India skipper Priyam Garg conceded that the reaction from the Bangladesh players was ‘dirty’ which led to the ugly scuffle. He said, “We were easy. We think it’s part and parcel of the game – you win some and you lose some. But their reaction was dirty. I think it shouldn’t have happened. But it’s okay.”
Heated arguments were seen between the players from the two sides since the start of the match. In the 2nd over of India innings, pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib almost hit opener Divyansh Saxena on the head with his wild throw after the Indian batsman played the shot back to the bowler. After his throw, Sakib also uttered some words to Saxena followed with staring and needed intervention on the part of umpire Adrian Holstock.
Not just this, but after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s terrific innings of 88 runs that helped India get to a respectable total, Shoriful Islam gave him a send-off to further raise the intensity of the game.
For a while now, at least in terms of the on-field action between the senior teams, the Bangladesh v India rivalry has perhaps even crossed India v Pakistan in terms of intensity. Akbar admitted that there was an element of “revenge” on the part of the Bangladesh boys for their defeat by just five runs in the Asia Cup final in September last year.
Akbar said, “I’ll say India-Bangladesh rivalry bring the part, and before the World Cup final, we lost the Asia Cup final to them a couple of months ago. So I think the boys are really pumped up and take revenge. I won’t say it should have happened, but I will be sorry for my side.”
According to Anil Patel, the Indian team manager, the ICC has told the Indian team management that the match referee would be studying the footage of the final minutes of the match and update them on Monday. The finer details of the incident are yet to come out, but the ICC is understood to be taking the issue “seriously” ahead of a fuller update from the match referee, Graeme Labrooy, on Monday.
There has been no official reaction yet from the ICC on the players’ actions.
