Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: After the second ODI between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Friday, Pakistan batter Salman Ali Agha was officially reprimanded for showing frustration after being run out. The incident happened in the 39th over of Pakistan’s innings when Agha was dismissed following a quick reaction from Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz.The moment unfolded when Mohammad Rizwan pushed a delivery from Miraz toward the bowler. Miraz stopped the ball with his boot while Agha was standing nearby and outside his crease.
As the ball slowed near them, Agha tried to pick it up to return it to the bowler. However, Miraz reacted faster, grabbed the ball and underarmed it into the stumps, catching Agha short of his ground.On-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed sent the decision upstairs, where third umpire Kumar Dharmasena confirmed the ball was still live and that Miraz’s run-out attempt was valid. Agha, who had scored 64 from 62 balls, appeared frustrated with the ruling. As he walked off the field, he exchanged words with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das and tossed his gloves in anger.That reaction led to disciplinary action. Match referee Neeyamur Rashid charged Agha for abusing cricket equipment. “The specific incident involved abusing cricket equipment on the ground while leaving the field. Regarding Salman Agha, he has no previous history of such behaviour. We have to maintain neutrality when we judge. Consequently, we have issued a reprimand and a demerit point,” Neeyamur told The Daily Star.He also clarified that the verbal exchange with Litton Das would not lead to further punishment, adding, “We also considered the law, our training and playing conditions. We discussed the matter with the ICC before making the final decision. From a neutrality standpoint, we delivered the judgement.”The offence was classified as a Level 1 breach under Article 2.2 of the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct, which covers the misuse of equipment during a match. Despite the controversy, Pakistan won the game by 128 runs via the DLS method, keeping the series alive ahead of the deciding final ODI at the same venue.
