Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das commented on Salman Ali Agha’s controversial run-out during the second ODI against Pakistan on Friday 13 March. Litton said they had the right to go for the layoff because it was in accordance with the rules of the game.
The incident took place in the 39 as Pakistan built a strong position through Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan after Bangladesh opted to field first. On the fourth ball of the over, Rizwan moved the ball towards the bowler’s right. Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz crossed in his drive to stop it with his boot, colliding with Agha at the non-striker’s end.
As the ball stopped near them and Agha was momentarily out of his crease, the batter seemed to bend down to pick it up and return it to Miraz. However, the Bangladesh skipper was quick to react, catching the ball and underarming it at the non-striker’s stumps while Agha still failed to get to the ground.
Miraz immediately appealed, leading on-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed to send the decision up. The TV umpire ruled that Agha had run out after confirming that the ball was still in play and that the batsman had not grounded his bat in the crease.
Agha, who scored 64 off 62 deliveries, looked unhappy with the decision and exchanged words with Miraz. The situation heated up briefly when Litton also got involved in the exchange before Rizwan stepped in to diffuse the moment.
After the match, Litton said they were not there to play a charity match and were involved in an international game.
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“First of all, nobody has come here to play a charity league; this is an international match,” Litton was quoted as saying by Daily Star Bangladesh.
As things unfolded on the field, Ramiz Raja was heard on commentary saying that the spirit of the game was affected.
“Though it is outside as per the rules, sportsmanship was greatly affected here. The batsman went to help the bowler. He did not expect it to happen to him,” said Raja.
However, Litton disagreed with the views of the former Pakistan Cricket Board chief.
“As the dismissal is within the rules, I don’t see from any angle that sportsmanship is compromised. Everyone is entitled to their personal opinion. But as players, we felt that an out is an out,” Litton added.
WHAT DID AGHA SAY ABOUT THE EVENT?
After completing the game, Agha came to the press conference and said he would do things differently if he were in Mirage’s shoes.
“I think the sportsmanship has to be there,” Agha told a news conference. “What he (Mehidy) did is within the law. I think if he thinks it’s right, it’s right, but if you ask me my point of view, I would have done it differently. I would have followed the spirit of sportsmanship. We didn’t do that (type of thing) before, we would never do it in the future,” Agha said.
Pakistan finally beat Bangladesh by 128 runs by DLS method.
– The end
Published on:
March 14, 2026 11:45 AM IST
