Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat is about to become the first judge from Bangladesh to work in a World Cup.
In fact, it is a pretty big deal. The ICC put Saikat on the 16-person panel of umpires for the event, which will take place in India from October 5 to November 19, 2023. Saikat is a part of the ICC Emerging panel.
Saikat is thought to be one of the best Bangladeshi umpires. He has worked 13 Tests, 85 ODIs, and 59 T20Is. He will be excited to add a World Cup to his already impressive list of accomplishments. But the man himself thinks that being a referee in a Test match was the best thing that could have happened to him.
“It’s obviously a dream to officiate in the forthcoming ICC World Cup. It’s an honour and a privilege, and a huge achievement for me to become the first Bangladeshi to officiate in the World Cup,” Saikat told CricAdvisor. “It’s been the result of a process, and I have earned it through dedication and hard work.”
“However, I think getting appointed to officiate in a Test match was much bigger for me. I was very excited about it because it’s the pinnacle of the sport, and every umpire’s dream to be in charge of a Test match.”
“There was a time when I had my doubts whether I’d be considered for a Test match, because I’d already been an international umpire for 10 to 12 years before I got the chance,” recalled Saikat. “I must have proved that I am capable of handling the pressure of a Test match. And after the Test, I had a feeling that better things would come my way, because my confidence grew higher following that Test against West Indies.
“I have officiated as on field umpire in nine Test matches and I am happy and honoured that my performance in the Test matches got rewarded with a chance to officiate in the World Cup.”
So far, Saikat has worked at ICC games like the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the ICC Women’s World Cup, and the Under-19 World Cup. He is happy for the experience, which has helped him grow.
“I think I know what the atmosphere is like at an ICC event because I’ve been to a few, but the intensity will be much higher than what I’ve seen before, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” There will be different teams, so I have to study up on them,” Saikat said, pointing out that preparation is important even for top sports officials, which is something that is often overlooked.
“Getting ready is very important. People have the wrong idea about judges, I think. They think we only move our fingers up and down, and they don’t realize that we have DRS to help us.
“There’s more to it than that. Before the play starts, you have to put all your feelings aside and do your job, no matter what’s going on in your head. “Cricket builds character, and umpiring builds a life,” as the saying goes, because as a judge, you will see and do everything.
“Everyone makes mistakes, but you have to be able to get back up after them. That’s the hardest part, because if you make a mistake on the field, all the TV cameras will show it, which can be embarrassing. You have to get up and deal with the public’s attention. It can’t get any worse than this. You have to remember that people are always against judges.
Saikat went into more detail about how the judges get ready for events and do practice runs to keep their senses sharp.
“We have an ICC drive with videos of events, but even after watching them, I still make mistakes. I sometimes go to the nets to watch how the bowlers do their job. There will be games every day or two during the World Cup, so I need to start preparing for different countries right away to make sure I am ready for the big event.
“Like cricket players, umpires can have a bad day, but the hardest part is having to get back on your feet so quickly. When a batter makes a mistake, for example, he gets out of the game and goes back to the locker room. If a player isn’t doing well, the leader will switch him out so he can get back on track. But that is not the case for a judge.
“In my first Test, I made a mistake by giving Shadman LBW, and I thought to myself, There are still five days of cricket left. Looking too far ahead used to make me nervous, but now I know that you should just focus on the next ball and not think too far ahead. If you complain about it, you’re likely to make more mistakes as the day goes on.
Saikat thinks that being chosen to work in the World Cup will inspire more Bangladeshi judges and encourage those who want to be umpires to aim higher.
“I think that my work as an umpire at the World Cup will motivate other umpires from Bangladesh to do better because they will see that it is possible to get this far.”
In the ICC World Cup 2023, there will be 16 umpires. Twelve of them will be from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, and the other four will be from the ICC Emerging Umpires’ Panel.
Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
