'Don't think it looks good to bring back a batter after getting him out' - Tamim on recalling Sodhi

Senior Bangladesh batter Tamim Iqbal has said it did "not look good" to call back Ish Sodhi who was run-out backing up at the non-striker's end in the second ODI in Mirpur. Sodhi, however, praised Bangladesh for showing "huge sportsmanship" in calling him back to the crease, saying the opposition captain Litton Das handled the situation in an "exceptional" way.

"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," he said. "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, who was until recently Bangladesh's ODI captain, also said they need not have given Sodhi a warning, and that the team would be discussing if they wanted to stick to this mode of dismissal in the future.

"I think he [Sodhi] also shouldn't have done that [left the crease early], he shouldn't be surprised too," Tamim said. "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."

The incident took place in the 46th over when fast bowler Hasan Mahmud broke the wicket in his bowling stride with Sodhi backing up early. The bowler appealed to umpire Marais Erasmus who went straight to the TV umpire. Replays showed that Sodhi was out of his crease when Mahmud dislodged the bails. Sodhi walked off with a smile on his face but as he neared the boundary rope, Bangladesh captain Litton then told the umpire that he wanted to call Sodhi back. Informed of the gesture, Sodhi ran back to the middle and gave Mahmud a hug.

Sodhi was on 17 off 26 balls when he was called back and he then scored 18 off 13 with the help of two sixes which took New Zealand to 254. The visitors went on to defend the score on the back of Sodhi's 6 off 39 with the ball.

"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.

"I think I was out by such a small fraction, it caught me off guard. I come from a bit of an old cloth when you give the batter a warning. I understand it is not in the rules at the moment."

Sodhi also said he wouldn't try that type of a run-out as a bowler.

"I probably wouldn't throw a Mankad [running out the non-striker backing up] out there. I understand that it is part of the rules of the game now. You've seen it all over the world. It is a bit of a controversial issue.

"They could have easily let me walk off. They showed huge sportsmanship out there today. We are fortunate to be on the winning side but it is important to keep the spirit of the game alive, especially when we are playing such competitive cricket to win games for our country."