The altercation occurred after the third over of Nepal’s innings when Tanzim approached Rohit Paudel aggressively after delivering a ball, resulting in inappropriate physical contact as stated by the ICC.
After a heated exchange of words and gestures, on-field umpire Sam Nogajski had to intervene and separate the players. The umpires also spoke to Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto regarding the incident.
Tanzim was found to have violated Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which prohibits inappropriate physical contact during an International Match.
Additionally, Tanzim received one demerit point, marking his first offence within a 24-month period. Accumulating four or more demerit points within this timeframe leads to suspension points and potential bans from matches.
Tanzim accepted the sanction without the need for a formal hearing, proposed by match referee Richie Richardson and supported by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Sam Nogajski, third umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal, and fourth umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Rohit Paudel downplayed the incident, stating, “There’s nothing between us. Just he came and he told me to hit. And I said, go and bowl. Nothing else.”
Despite the controversy, Tanzim’s impressive performance of 4 for 7 helped Bangladesh defend their total against Nepal, who fell short by 21 runs. Tanzim’s exceptional form has seen him become the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the World Cup, with nine wickets in four games at an economy rate of 4.80. Bangladesh is set to face Australia on June 21 in their upcoming Super Eight match.
