'Nadir Shah ban still stands' - BCB president

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said the board's 10-year ban on Nadir Shah remains in place, and that a "miscommunication" led to Shah umpiring in a domestic T20 semifinal on September 28. Hassan said the BCB "did not allow him", although it is the board's umpires committee that chooses the umpires in the Dhaka First Division T20 tournament, as it does for all domestic competitions.

Sailab Hossain Tutul, the umpires committee member-secretary, had earlier stated that the BCB had lifted the ban on Shah in May. Hassan, however, said the BCB had not made any such decision yet.

"I only read about the Nadir Shah situation in the papers today," Hassan said. "The board has taken a decision against him in the past, and that will stand, the 10-year ban, until and unless the decision is changed. We have seen his mercy application, but we haven't reached a decision yet.

"The board was not involved in this matter; we didn't allow him [to umpire]. He umpired a game due to a miscommunication at some level. The board didn't decide. The BCB CEO [Nizamuddin Chowdhury] will take an independent decision."

Shah had been banned in March 2013 based on charges alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012.

Tutul had said following the match that there was no ICC restriction on Shah and that the board had informed the ACSU that he would be allowed to umpire in domestic matches. "There was no ICC restriction on him. It was the BCB's suspension and the BCB has withdrawn it," Tutul said. "The BCB withdrew the ban on him in the board meeting after the World T20 [in May].

"We had informed ACSU in February-March this year that we are allowing him to umpire in domestic [cricket]. But they didn't reply. The [BCB's] executive board withdrew it. He wanted mercy. He was considered for his length of service."

Tutul also said that Shah had been assigned the match soon after he arrived in Bangladesh after spending three months in the USA.

"There was no cricket in the interim [since May]," he said. "When the domestic season began here, he was abroad. We gave him this opportunity as soon as he arrived back in the country. From now on, he will get more matches to officiate."