Shakib Al Hasan was the poster boy of Bangladesh cricket in world cricket. One of the best all-rounders of all time, he has represented Bangladesh in world cricket for more than a decade. However, with the passage of time, Shakib is now far away from Bangladesh cricket. He may not be seen in the red and green jersey again. Then the question arises, who will be the advertisement of Bangladesh cricket after Shakib?
After Shakib's emergence, there was no one like Shakib in Bangladesh cricket. Although the youngsters showed a lot of expectations and got a chance in the team, no one could survive like Shakib. Shakib is the first and only cricketer in world cricket to reach number 1 in the all-rounder rankings in all formats of cricket. Can anyone else in Bangladesh cricket do that? The answer is very simple. Bangladesh will not get anyone like him in the near future. So who will represent Bangladesh cricket in the world court.
To know the answer to this question, we have to look away from the Bangladesh cricket players. He is also a man on the field but he performs different responsibilities. The biggest advertisement of Bangladesh cricket at present is Sharfuddaula Ibne Shahid Saikat who is representing Bangladesh cricket in the world court with pride.
Saikat is the first and only ICC Elite Panel umpire from Bangladesh. He joined the Elite Panel in March last year. Saikat started umpiring at the international level in 2010 with the ODI match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Mirpur. Although he made his T20 debut the following year, Saikat had to wait 11 years to start umpiring in cricket's elite format, Tests. Saikat started his journey in the Test format with a match between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chattogram in 2021. After that, Saikat never looked back.
So far, Saikat has played the role of field umpire in 16 Tests, 64 ODIs and 52 T20Is. Recently, Saikat earned praise for umpiring in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia. Saikat was also a field umpire in 5 matches in the last ODI World Cup held in India. He also officiated 3 matches in the T20 World Cup held in 2024.
Saikat will also be the field umpire in two matches in the group stage of the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy, starting from February 19. Apart from the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand, Saikat will also be the umpire for the Afghanistan-England match on February 26.
Be it a major ICC tournament or a major bilateral series, Saikat has been umpiring consistently. His decisions are rarely changed by reviews.
Saikat is representing Bangladesh in world cricket by being the best like Shakib.