Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz produced a run-out straight from the coaching manual – and perhaps the laws exam – to remove Salman Agha during the second one-dayer in Dhaka on Friday afternoon.
It happened in the 39th over. Mohammad Rizwan punched Mehidy back down the pitch, the ball dribbling towards the non-striker. Agha, 64 from 62 balls and looking set, wandered out of his crease, bent to gather, then hesitated. Mehidy arrived almost on top of him, scooped up, swivelled and under-armed the stumps down. Third umpire Kumar Dharmasena needed only one replay. “Batsman is out of the ground at the time of the wickets break.” The big screen told the rest.
Agha was furious – arms aloft, a few choice words, helmet half off – before Rizwan calmed things. The home crowd loved the drama; the moment itself lasted seconds yet shifted the match. Pakistan, cruising at 231 for 3, collapsed to 274 all out, losing 7 for 43 once the fourth-wicket stand of 109 was split.
Mehidy, speaking later, kept it simple. “I saw the chance, picked up, threw. That’s the game.” His opposite number Babar Azam took a broader view: “We lost focus for a couple of overs, and international cricket punishes lapses. Agha’s dismissal was legal – frustrating, but legal.”
Former Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha, on television duty, offered a quick law refresher for any puzzled viewers. “If the non-striker’s out, he’s out. The bowler is perfectly entitled to compete for the ball. Spirit of cricket? It’s fine – both players were chasing it.”
The dismissal also overshadowed an otherwise enterprising innings from Agha, who had repaired early damage after Pakistan slipped from 103 without loss to 121 for 3. Rizwan, timing the ball sweetly, holed out at deep midwicket two deliveries after the run-out, six shy of a half-century.
Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win in the opening fixture means the hosts now lead the three-match series 1-0. The third ODI is scheduled for Sunday, with Pakistan needing victory to stay alive.
