‘I would have gone for sportsman spirit’ - Salman Ali Agha’s strong response to Mehidy Hasan after controversial run-out

Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha has admitted that he would have acted ‘differently’ after a controversial run-out by Mehidy Hasan Miraz during the second One-Day International of the ongoing series against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka.

Agha, who scored 64 off 62 deliveries, was backing up at the non-striker’s end when Mohammad Rizwan drove the ball back towards the bowler. As Miraz moved around to collect the ball, Agha was still well outside his crease. The Bangladeshi all-rounder then quickly grabbed the ball and threw down the stumps before his opposition counterpart could return to his ground.

The Pakistan batter admitted that he would have handled the situation “differently” after being run out by Mehidy in controversial circumstances during the Dhaka encounter. The dismissal sparked an immediate reaction from Agha, who flung his gloves and helmet to the ground in frustration. Later, however, he addressed the incident during the post-match press conference ahead of captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and Player of the Match Maaz Sadaqat.

“I think sportsman spirit has to be there. What he [Mehidy] has done is in the law. I think if he thinks it's right, it's right, but if you ask me my perspective, I would have done differently. I would have gone for sportsman spirit. We haven't done this [type of thing] previously, we would never do that in the future as well,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Explaining what happened from his perspective, Agha said he believed the ball had effectively become dead and that he was merely trying to hand it back to the bowler. Despite the controversy, Agha later expressed regret over his on-field reaction.

“Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat. So I thought he can't get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat. I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided [to make the run-out],” he continued.

“It was just heat-of-the-moment kind of stuff. If you ask me what would I have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in the moment,” Agha concluded. 

Mehidy Hasan controversially runs Salman Agha out in 2nd ODI

Read More

Mehidy Hasan controversially runs Salman Agha out in 2nd ODI

Pakistan eventually won the contest by 128 runs and levelled the series 1-1 after losing the first ODI. The third and decisive fixture will be played on March 15 at the same venue in a mouth-watering contest.