Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, commonly known as Sharfuddoula Saikat, is an international cricket umpire on the Emirates ICC Elite Panel and a former first-class left-arm spinner from Bangladesh. He officiated his first ODI match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in January 2010. In January 2024, he became the second Bangladeshi umpire, after Enamul Haque Moni, to officiate a Test match as a neutral umpire outside Bangladesh.
| Full Name | Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat |
| Born | October 16, 1976 (age 49) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 cm) |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Role | Umpire |
| Religion | Islam |
Early Life and Education
Sharfuddoula Saikat was born on October 16, 1976, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was a student at Rajshahi University School. He completed his honours and master's degrees in International Relations from Dhaka University and later earned an MBA in Human Resource Management from American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB).
Cricketing Career
Sharfuddoula Saikat represented Bangladesh in the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya, playing three matches. He also played for Dhaka Metropolis during the 2000-2001 season. As a left-arm orthodox spinner, he participated in 10 first-class matches, taking 31 wickets at an average of 23. His best bowling figures in an innings were 6/45.
Umpiring career
Sharfuddoula Saikat made his debut as a first-class umpire in February 2007 in a match between Barisal Division and Sylhet Division.
He officiated his first One Day International (ODI) match on January 8, 2010, between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, becoming the tenth Bangladeshi to umpire at the international level.
He officiated his first T20 International (T20I) match on November 29, 2011, between Bangladesh and Pakistan, becoming the third Bangladeshi umpire to officiate in T20I matches.
He made his Test umpiring debut on February 3, 2021, during the match between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chattogram, becoming the fifth Bangladeshi umpire to officiate in Test matches.
In March 2018, he was appointed as one of the match officials for the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
In November 2018, he was one of the twelve on-field umpires for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
In October 2019, he was appointed as one of the twelve umpires to officiate matches in the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in the United Arab Emirates.
In January 2020, he was named one of the sixteen umpires for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
In February 2022, he was appointed as one of the on-field umpires for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
In January 2023, he was named one of the on-field umpires for the 2023 ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup.
In March 2023, during the 3rd T20I between Bangladesh and Ireland, Saikat became the first Bangladeshi umpire to officiate in 100 men’s international matches.
In September 2023, he was named one of the sixteen match officials for the 2023 Cricket World Cup, becoming the first Bangladeshi umpire to be appointed to officiate in the Men's World Cup. He was selected to stand in five matches as an on-field umpire.
In January 2024, he became the second Bangladeshi umpire, after Enamul Haque Moni, to officiate in a Test match as a neutral umpire outside Bangladesh, being named an on-field umpire for the second Test between Australia and West Indies.
In March 2024, Saikat became the first Bangladeshi umpire to be included in the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. He replaced South African umpire Marais Erasmus who retired from umpiring in international cricket in February 2024.
In December 2024, he served as the third umpire during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where his decision to dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal caught behind sparked controversy. The decision was based on visual evidence of a deflection, even though the Snickometer showed a flat line as the ball passed the bat.
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