Mehidy Hasan under fire as 'desperation' for running out Salman Agha laid bare: 'Sports without fair play is no sports'

Mohammad Kaif took Salman Ali Agha's side, bemoaning the run-out affected by Mehidy Hasan Mirza.

The world of cricket has found its latest debate, and its latest topic for discussion when it comes to the murky world of the spirit of the game. Salman Ali Agha’s wicket on Friday afternoon against Bangladesh saw his opposite number Mehidy Hasan Miraz take advantage of a brain-fade to quickly whip off the bails and send Agha back to the hut.

Salman Agha speaks to Mehidy Hasan Miraz. (AFP)

The anger and disapproval from Agha was clear after he was given out, as he became the first to have big questions regarding whether this was a fair piece of cricket from Miraz. A lot of the consensus seems to be no, given Agha was trying to help Miraz retain the ball in the first place – and a different critic was former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif.

Posting on X, Kaif let his displeasure be known regarding the state of affairs in the run-out. “This is so not done. No desperation of getting wickets can justify this run out,” wrote an enraged Kaif on his social media profile.

Kaif pointed out that this kind of wicket and upholding of the appeal was not on from an international captain – “That too from a captain. Youngsters please remember, even if the World Cup final is on the line never do what the Bangladesh skipper did. Sports without fair play is no sports,” said Kaif emphatically.

Agha keeps things calm off pitch after on-field explosion

Agha was batting on 62* at a decent rate with the Pakistan team in a strong position at the time of the dismissal. Agha was certainly only trying to help Mehidy and not gain any undue advantage, which is the bone of contention at the heart of the issue: while that is one side of the problem, the other insists that it was a strange mistake from the Pakistan skipper, and rightfully punished.

Agha was visibly frustrated after the wicket, throwing his gear around in anger and wearing an expression of true disgust on his face.Responding to the situation, Agha said:

“Actually, the ball hit on my pad and then my bat. So I thought he can't get me run-out now, because the ball already hit on my pad and my bat. I was just trying to give him the ball back. I was not looking for the run or anything like that, but he already decided to make the run-out.”

Ultimately, the run-out did not have much bearing – Pakistan hammered 274, and in response the Tigers were rolled out for 114.