(Reuters) – Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo broke a frustrating figure after his side started after their run in Tuesday’s Twenty20 run against New Zealand not knowing what match they needed to win and judge the conduct of the match officials .
An outburst brought a premature end to New Zealand pubs at 173 for five and subsequently the big screen at McLean Park and the ICC website said Bangladesh’s target under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system was 148 in 16 overs.
They then stopped playing nine deliveries to the Bangladesh hunt and were notified of their new target – 170 runs in 16 overs, which was later changed to 171 after the 13th over, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Eventually, the visitors fell far short of the count they needed to keep the three-game series alive.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game where batters go out and don’t know what the target is,” said Domingo. “Nobody had any idea how much we needed after five or six overs.
“I don’t think the game should have started until it was finally completed, before there was a clear indication of what was required, and what we needed at certain stages. I don’t think the behavior was good enough tonight.
“(When we met the match referee) they were still waiting for calculations. If you wait, the game cannot begin. What was explained was that they usually get it one or two balls in … No excuses, but this is just frustrating. ”
An ICC spokeswoman said an operational issue on the ground meant that the DLS leaflets, which include the target scores at different points from the pubs, could not be provided to the teams.
“The target score was communicated verbally to the umpires at the start of the pubs,” the spokesman told ESPNCricinfo. “However, it was necessary to stop play after 1.3 overs as the teams requested the DLS sheet.
“Play resumed once the sheets were provided to the teams.”
The final game in the series is being held at Eden Park in Auckland today.