Bangladesh bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed has defended captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz following the controversial run-out of Salman Ali Agha during the second ODI between Bangladesh national cricket team and Pakistan national cricket team on 13 March 2026.
The incident has sparked debate across the cricketing world, particularly in Pakistan, where some believe Miraz should not have attempted the dismissal in that situation. However, Mushtaq insisted that the Bangladesh captain did nothing wrong.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mushtaq said the moment unfolded so quickly that even those inside the Bangladesh camp initially struggled to understand what had happened.
“Everything happened very quickly. Even we were trying to understand what exactly took place,” he said.
According to the former Pakistan spinner, Miraz likely believed Salman was outside the crease and simply reacted instinctively while trying to stop the ball.
“I think Miraz thought Salman was outside the crease while he was attempting to stop the ball, which was coming towards his feet,” Mushtaq explained.
“At the same time, Salman probably believed he would help Miraz by picking up the ball and handing it to him.”
Mushtaq described the run-out attempt as a natural reaction during a competitive match rather than an act of poor sportsmanship.
“If you pick up the ball and the batter is outside the crease, you will naturally try for a run-out,” he said.
“In my opinion, neither of them was wrong. Salman tried to help, while Miraz was fully focused on the match and reacted instinctively to attempt the dismissal.”
Mushtaq also pointed out that the ball was still live at the time and Salman was clearly outside his crease.
“The ball was still in play and Agha was outside the crease. When you collect the ball in that situation, you will attempt a run-out,” he said.
“Salman may have thought the ball was dead, or perhaps he did not realise how far he had moved out of his crease. The ball had deflected off Miraz’s foot and everything happened in a split second.”
“Miraz was simply reacting within the game. From my perspective, he did nothing wrong and acted as any player would in that situation.”
