Litton's decision to call back Sodhi 'did not look good', says Tamim

Tamim Iqbal surprisingly criticised his own captain after Bangladesh decided to recall Ish Sodhi after running him out at non-striker's end.

The practice of running out batters at the non-striker's end has long been a divisive issue in world cricket. On Saturday, an incident involving Bangladesh bowler Hasan Mahmud and New Zealand's Ish Sodhi drew significant attention, for it saw Hasan attempting a similar run out on the Kiwi batter.

Mahmud took off the bails before delivering the ball when he noticed Sodhi had ventured out of the crease during the 46th over. Umpire Marais Erasmus consulted the third umpire, who ruled Sodhi out as he was found backing up.

As Sodhi was heading back, he sarcastically applauded Mahmud, but Bangladesh captain Litton Das intervened and eventually called Sodhi back to continue playing. The skipper's decision, though, has found opposition from his own teammate – senior opener and former captain Tamim Iqbal.

Tamim, who made a return to Bangladesh ODI squad after being away due to injury, expressed that the decision to recall Sodhi "did not look good."

"I don't see anything wrong in it," Tamim said after the match. "The rule is there. If we get someone out, or one of us gets out in that manner, I don't think we should react the way people are reacting nowadays.

"I think it is a team decision. We will definitely talk about it after today's incident. If it is a team decision that we will take wickets in this way, we will. If we don't want to take it, we will not try it. I don't think it looks good to bring back a batter after getting him out. Either we take it, or we don't do it."

Tamim also criticised Sodhi for being careless at the non-striker's end, insisting that he shouldn't have left the crease. "I think he [Sodhi] also shouldn't have done that [left the crease early], he shouldn't be surprised too. Whether we take it or not, it is the team's call. I was surprised by his reaction. It is now part of cricket.

"There's no need for a warning here. It is like a bowled out. Maybe the captain felt that we wouldn't take that wicket. So he called him [Sodhi] back. There's no right and wrong. Either you do it, or you don't do it. Nothing wrong with either. I think we should discuss as a team if we want to do it or not. Going forward, I think you will see a lot of teams taking advantage of this," said the opener.

Sodhi, however, commended Bangladesh for their "tremendous sportsmanship" in reinstating him to the crease and acknowledged the handling of the situation by the opposing captain Litton.

"I am not a very good batter but it was a nice gesture," Sodhi said.

"I would do the same thing as a bowler. I have played under some great captains for New Zealand in the past few years. I think they would have done the same thing. I think Litton Das was exceptional in the way he handled it. I hugged the bowler and gave Litton a bit of a handshake. We all respect the game of cricket very highly and really endeavour to keep the spirit intact."