Umpire Saikat's resignation made effective one year after submission

The contract of international elite umpire Sharafuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has come to an end. Although he had submitted his resignation on April 21, 2025, it was made effective nearly a year later, in April 2026.

Saikat had resigned from the BCB contract in protest against the reduction of Mohammadan captain Towhid Hridoy's ban by one match. At that time, the BCB did not accept his resignation. The then chairman of the Umpires' Division, Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, had told a press conference that the resignation was not accepted. Even after that, he had been receiving a regular salary for a year.

When questioned about the matter on Sunday, this ICC Elite Panel umpire confirmed that his resignation had been made effective.

It has been learned that the decision to make the resignation effective after a year was taken on the advice of an umpire and a match referee. A former BCB director has termed such a decision unprecedented in the country's cricket.

Regarding the matter, attempts were made to contact BCB Chief Executive Officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury and Umpires' Division in-charge Abdullah Al Noman, but their comments could not be obtained.

As a member of the ICC Elite Panel, Sharafuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat has been officiating in international cricket as well as in domestic tournaments such as the Dhaka Premier League, National Cricket League (NCL), Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He was among the highest-paid umpires in the country.

With the termination of his contract with the BCB, he no longer has any contractual relationship with the board.

Earlier, there was a plan to appoint him as the chief trainer of umpires. However, after the administrative changes at the BCB, that initiative was not implemented. The current board also did not take any new initiative to utilise his experience.