BAN vs PAK | Twitter offers respect as debutant Salman Mirza brutally crashes into stumps to save wicket

Gantavya Adukia

ByGantavya Adukia,SportsCafe Editor

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Pakistan were bowled out for 110 by Bangladesh in the first T20I at Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on July 20

In the 19 years since Pakistan made their T20I debut, only 121 men had represented them in internationals until the clash against Bangladesh at Mirpur. Salman Mirza was offered the 122nd cap on Sunday and desperate to make his mark, the 31-year-old gave his all even when the stakes were low.

‌Pakistan's new-found stubborness to play an all-out attacking brand of cricket backfired spectacularly in the first T20I against Bangladesh at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium as the visitors crumbled to 110 all-out, failing to play out even their whole quota of 20 overs. Mustafizur Rahman emerged as the pick of the bowlers with sensational figures of 2/6 from his four overs while Taskin Ahmed was the most successful, scalping three wickets. Two of those dismissals came in the final over that lasted just three balls and saw the Tigers claim a team hat-trick. While the run-out sandwiched between a couple of catches had little significance in the overall context of the match, the manner in which it came showcased the dire fighting spirit contained in the Men in Green as they prepared to defend the subpar target.

31-year-old Salman Mirza had arrived at the crease after Faheem Ashraf holed out at the start of the final over, the left-arm quick making his debut after impressive showings in the Pakistan Super League. Even though Salman boasts some decent chops with the bat, having a first-class fifty to his name, he decided it was better off if Abbas Afridi had as much of the strike as possible given the pacer had already struck three maximums on the evening. Consequently, Salman sprinted across to the other end after failing to connect with a Taskin Ahmed slower one, even as Litton Das collected the ball and looped it to the bowler to effect a run-out. Salman was running on full-tank and as he realized the Kookaburra had reached Taskin, the southpaw made a desperate leaping dive to get across the crease in time. Not only was his attempt unsuccessful but also injurious as Salman's knee clattered into the stumps in the process, sending one of the poles flying and the Pakistani rubbing his leg in pain.

Twitterati, nevertheless, was stirred by Salman's unwavering commitment for a solitary run.

Gone

Ohh

Superb

LQ blood

Salman strikes

A second one

Quick

3rd one

Debutant

Great start

Dismissed

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