In a rather bizarre incident, never seen before in international cricket, Bangladesh all-rounder Soumya Sarkar asked for a DRS (Decision Review System) after getting clean bowled on the fifth day (Sunday) of the first Test match of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. The DRS declared him out.
This makes Sarkar the only cricketer to ask for a review after getting clean bowled, and perhaps he will remain the only one.
To Sarkar’s defense, unlike most other clean-bowled dismissals, the bowler Asela Gunaratne and other fielders, including the keeper, had appeal valiantly to the umpire before he finally called it out, because the delivery just managed to displace the bails, and the umpire did take some time to raise his finger.
The ball had pitched between middle and off and deviated away to hit the top of his off stump to send Sarkar back to the pavilion.
Crazy review you ever see pic.twitter.com/6pP8KLxE0Q
— shashi (@shashi427) March 11, 2017
Eventually, the minnows lost the game after getting all out at 193 after the Lankan spinners ran amok on the Galle pitch. Bangladesh had a target of more than 450 runs and had to bat through the fifth day to draw the Test match.
However, it is not the only blooper with the DRS in recent history by the Bangladeshis in the international circuit.
In the same match, Bangla pacer Subhasis Roy celebrated after outfielder Mustafir caught a well hit shot by Kusal Mendis well over the deep Fine Leg boundary.
During the one-off Test match against India before the India-Australia series, the Bangladeshis had asked for a DRS in the hope of getting India captain Virat Kohli out LBW when the ball hit nowhere close to his pads.