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Disgruntled ICC president Mustafa Kamal steps down in protest

Mustafa Kamal has resigned as ICC president, news reports have confirmed. This comes only days after the completion of the Australia-New Zealand final at the Cricket World Cup.

ESPN CricInfo reports that on Wednesday, Kamal announced his resignation from Dhaka, saying his decision was in protest against those who worked unconstitutionally, and for the greater good of cricket. The statement also mentioned he was stepping down on personal grounds and "offered his apologies to all associated with the ICC", while adding that he had no complaints to make against anyone.

The news would come as a shock to the public, but the writing was on the wall throughout the 49-match tournament. On March 19 when India took on Bangladesh, India’s Rohit Sharma hit a ball deep into the outfield and was caught. The umpire deemed it a “no-ball” so Sharma, who was on 90 at the time, was not out. For a delivery to be deemed a no ball, it must be bowled over shoulder height. Replays suggested the ball travelled waist-high and was on its way down. Kamal was outraged and spoke out of line, saying the umpires came to the match with an agenda and that the quality of umpiring was poor.

Kamal, who is a planning minister for the Bangladeshi government, told media after the game that he questioned the umpiring decisions and indicated the ICC should investigate the issue.

"From what I have seen, the umpiring was very poor," Kamal told ESPN CricInfo. "There was no quality in the umpiring. It seemed as if they had gone into the match with something in mind. I am speaking as a fan, not as the ICC president.”

Then, at the final ceremony after Australia’s heavy defeat of New Zealand, Kamal took issue with not being able to hand over the trophy to the World Cup champions. He told media it was his right as ICC president to hand over the trophy and hinted then he may step down.

Najam Seth has been named to take over Kamals’ role as president as of July 1.