Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha admitted he “would have done things differently” had he been in Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s position during the widely debated run-out incident in the second match of the three-ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.
The episode, which reignited conversations around “sportsmanship”, occurred in the 39th over of Pakistan’s innings when Agha was dismissed in an unusual manner by Mehidy, leaving the batter visibly upset.
The moment unfolded after Mohammad Rizwan pushed the ball back towards the bowler from Mehidy’s delivery. As the ball rolled towards Agha at the non-striker’s end, both the spinner and the batter moved to collect it, briefly tangling in the process.
With Agha still outside his crease, the two attempted to pick up the ball. Mehidy reached it first and swiftly broke the stumps with an underarm throw.
Agha reacted in frustration as on-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed referred the appeal to the third umpire. Kumar Dharmasena reviewed the replay and ruled that Agha was out of his ground when the wicket was put down.
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The dismissal brought an end to a crucial 109-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Agha and Rizwan, which had steadied Pakistan after they had slipped to three wickets down for 18 runs following a 103-run opening stand. Agha was dismissed for 64 off 62 balls.
Agha explains his perspective
“I mean, I’m sure everyone has seen it. It was just heat-of-the-moment stuff,” Agha said when asked about his reaction after the match, which Pakistan won by 128 runs under the DLS method.
“If you ask me what I would have done, I would have done things differently. But whatever happened after that was just the heat of the moment,” he said, noting that Mehidy had acted within the laws but adding that he personally would have preferred a different approach.
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“It is within the law and I’m someone who always wants to follow the law,” he said. “But when we talk about sportsman spirit, I think that should be up there no matter what the situation. According to the law what he has done is fine, and if he thinks it is right then it is right. But from my perspective, I would have done things differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit.”
Describing the incident from his own viewpoint, Agha explained that he believed the ball had already struck him and therefore he had no intention of attempting a run.
“It hit my pad and then my back. So I thought you can’t really get out because the ball had already hit my pad and my back. I was just trying to give him the ball back because I wasn’t looking for a run or anything like that. I was just trying to return the ball to him, but he probably had a different thought,” he said.
“At the same time I was thinking that if the ball passed through, because I wasn’t in his way, I still would not have gone for the run for sure,” he added.
Agha, who captained Pakistan during the last T20 World Cup, also stated that such a dismissal would not be attempted by his team in future. “No, never. We haven’t done that previously and we would never do that in the future,” he said.
The right-hander was further questioned about his heated exchange with Miraz following the dismissal but chose not to elaborate. “I can’t remember exactly what I was saying and I can’t remember what he was saying.
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“I’m sure I didn’t say nice things and I’m also sure he didn’t say nice things. But it was just the heat of the moment. We are fine. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but we will. Don’t worry, we are fine,” he said.
