2024-04-26 04:18:59
Fall afternoon in Mirpur Sher-i-Bangla. The heat of the sun was not much after the eyes were colored throughout the day. Zakir JC was walking slowly towards the dressing room after the match. Jessie didn’t seem tired at all despite standing up and umpiring in the sweltering heat since 9am. His first such experience!
How was the experience? Jessie said with a soft smile, ‘That was good.’ But due to the meeting with the match referee, the direct talk did not last long. The teammate quickly returned with the field umpire.
He told RisingBD over the phone in the evening, the feeling of debuting in umpiring in the Dhaka Premier League. She has previously served in women’s international cricket, but this time she is making her debut in the Dhaka League as an onfield umpire.
Talking about the difference between women’s international cricket and the Dhaka League, Jessie’s answer is, ‘There is a lot of pressure here even from the women’s international matches. National team cricketers play here. With the different pressure of Dhaka Premier League. it was hot All in all, I managed to come out well. That’s the big thing for me.’
In the Dhaka league, there are already many issues regarding umpiring in every match. Among them, Jesse made his debut in a high-voltage match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Primebank Cricket Club. In the second innings, with the dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim, the game was stopped for fifteen minutes.
Is this the first experience of Jesse? Having umpired in 8 international matches till now, Jesse is the first to witness such an event. He also said that there is no opportunity to be in some international matches.
“There is no chance for this to happen in an international match. They do so because there is an opportunity here. They also know that nothing will happen. Because, none of us will go outside the protocol.’
In the 34th over of the match, Abu Haider Rony touched the boundary line with Mushfiqur Rahim’s catch. With no TV umpire or replay system, it is left to the fielder. The umpires had no choice but to call Ronny out. This is what the former cricketer said.
‘It was none of our business. Because the onfield umpire had no chance to see it. The rule is to believe what the fielder says. We believed it. We were right according to the rules.’
Women’s T20 World Cup at home is ahead. Jesse’s umpiring potential here is strong. To prepare for the added pressure of umpiring in the global tournament, JC has been given responsibility in matches like Dhaka League Super League. Jesse was prepared, but a little thought was also in the works.
“There is a little thought before every match. As it was my debut in the Premier League as an onfield umpire, there was a bit of tension. Without tension, good umpiring cannot be done. All decisions of umpires are 100% correct. A 100 over match, starting at 9 am, is a bit difficult to maintain focus throughout the day. It feels very good to have done it on the first day’ – said Jesse.