Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha said he would have done things differently and embraced sportsmanship after his controversial match during the second ODI against Bangladesh on Friday (March 13). The dismissal sparked debate about the Spirit of Cricket. The incident took place in the 39th over as Pakistan built a steady partnership between Agha and Mohammad Rizwan after Bangladesh chose to bowl first. Rizwan nudged to the bowler’s right in the fourth delivery where Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz moved on his drive and stopped the ball with his boot, hitting Agha at the non-striker’s end.
When the ball stopped near them and Agha was short outside his crease, the batter appeared to bend to pick it up and return it. Miraz was quick to react, collecting the ball and underarming it on the stumps at the non-striker’s end while Agha was still under his ground.
Miraz immediately appealed, prompting on-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed to take the decision up. The TV umpire dismissed Agha after confirming that the ball remained in play and that the batsman had not grounded the bat beyond the crease.
Agha, who scored 64 off 62 balls, looked unhappy and exchanged words with Miraz. The situation heated up briefly when Litton Das joined the discussion before Rizwan stepped in to calm things down.
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“I think the sportsmanship has to be there,” Agha told a news conference. “What (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’d do it differently. I’d go for sportsmanship. We didn’t do that (type of thing) before, we’ll never do it in the future.”
Agha said he went to pick the ball thinking he would be called dead after hitting his pad and bat.
“Actually, the ball hit my pad and then my bat,” he said. “So I thought he can’t run me out now because the ball has already hit my pad and my bat.
“I was just trying to get the ball back to him. I wasn’t looking for a breakaway or anything like that, but he had already decided (to make a breakaway).”
The offender also said that his altercation with Litton was in the heat of the moment and he regrets his reaction to the whole situation.
“It was just kind of exciting,” he said. “If you ask me what I would have done, I would have done things differently. But it was everything, whatever happened after that, it was in that moment. I don’t remember what I said and I don’t remember what he said,” he said. “I’m sure I didn’t say nice things, and I’m sure he didn’t say nice things either. But it was just hot, so we’re fine.”
DID AGHA FIX S MIRAZ?
When asked if he had reconciled with Miraz after the incident, Agha said he would in due course.
“Not yet, but don’t worry, I’ll find him,” Agha said.
Despite the controversy surrounding the suspension, it did not affect Pakistan’s performance on the field as they did won the match by 128 runs by DLS method.
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Published on:
14 March 2026 08:07 IST
