During the current Twenty20 International series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, former cricketer Roshan Abeysinghe made a sexist remark. The 60-year-old called out the left-arm spinner from Bangladesh, Nahida Akter, for overstepping in the 13th over of Sri Lanka’s innings, saying that it is “unpardonable” for a female player to make such a mistake.
Roshan Abeysinghe stated that it is improper for a spinner to overstep, particularly for a female cricket player, because their strides are typically shorter. After his comments received negative feedback from the sport’s fans, the former cricketer had to later post an apology on Twitter. Abeysinghe claimed that the remark was made in jest and that he had no intention of offending anyone.
It is also a no-ball. This is now unacceptable. Unforgivable on two counts: first, a spinner; second, a woman—a cricket player for women. Abeysinghe was heard on commentary saying, “I don’t think they have tremendous strides; therefore, in that context, I was really extremely astonished at how she could overstep.
The umpire called it a no-ball because Nahida had used her foot to dislodge the bail at the non-striker’s end, even though it was later determined that the bowler had not overstepped.
Dear Georgie, Please accept my sincere apologies if you or anyone else was upset. The remarks were made innocently out of pure cricket play and were never intended to be offensive. Even so, I’m willing to apologize and accept my mistake. Once more, please accept my deepest apologies,” Abeysinghe added later.
Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh by six wickets.
The women of Bangladesh were able to defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the opening T20I of the series. The host team scored 145 runs in 20 overs while batting first, with Harshitha Samarawickrama and Chamari Athapaththu each scoring 45 and 38, respectively. Fahima Khatun took two wickets with the ball, while each of the other bowlers only managed one.
When it came to the chase, Bangladesh got off to a sluggish start, with their starters leaving the field quite cheaply. The team’s captain, Nigar Sultana, set an excellent example by scoring 75 runs off 51 deliveries, which contributed to the amazing victory.