'Just looking for ball...': Mehidy Hasan on controversial run-out
What's the story
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz has defended his controversial dismissal of Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha during the second ODI on Friday. The incident occurred in the 39th over when Mohammad Rizwan hit a ball back toward Miraz, who stopped it with his boot. Meanwhile, Agha was out of his crease and in close proximity to both players.
Controversial act
What exactly happened during the incident?
As Agha bent down to pick up the ball and return it to Miraz, the latter threw it at the stumps, hitting them with Agha still outside his crease. The third umpire reviewed the incident and deemed it a dismissal, much to Agha's displeasure. He had a few words with Miraz before leaving the field visibly unhappy.
Justification
Mehidy Hasan opens up on the incident
After the match, Miraz explained his actions by saying he was just looking for the ball. "He was away from the wicket and I was just looking for the ball. If you miss, he would go for the run. So I was just thinking like that," he said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Match outcome
Pakistan win 2nd ODI by 128 runs (DLS method)
Pakistan made a comeback in the series with a 128-run win over Bangladesh. The victory was achieved via the DLS method, which reduced the second innings to 32 overs with Bangladesh chasing 243 instead of 274 set by Pakistan in their first innings. However, they were bowled out for just 114 runs as Haris Rauf and Maaz Sadaqat picked three wickets each.
Game details
How did the match pan out?
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and chose to field against Pakistan in the second ODI. Despite a strong start from Maaz Sadaqat (75) and Sahibzada Farhan (31), who added 103 runs for the first wicket, Pakistan was bowled out for 274 in 47.3 overs. Rishad Hossain (3/56) and Miraz himself (2/34) were the standout bowlers for Bangladesh.
Match interruption
Here's how the DLS target was set
Chasing a target of 275, Bangladesh was reduced to 15/3 in just 4.3 overs by Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim. However, rain interrupted the match with Bangladesh at 27/3 in 6.3 overs. The match was then reduced to 32 overs with a revised DLS target of 243 runs for victory.