In a dramatic turn of events during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Tuesday in Shere Bangla National Stadium, Australian player Tom O’Connell, representing the Chittagong Kings, found himself at the centre of a rare and controversial dismissal, as per Wisden. O’Connell was sent in to bat at No. 7 after the fall of Haider Ali’s wicket in the seventh over. However, there was a significant delay between Haider’s dismissal and O’Connell’s appearance at the crease. The prolonged wait led to growing impatience among the Khulna Tigers fielders and curious glances from the Kings’ dugout.
Commentators noted the unexpected flurry of wickets that had caused the delay. Eventually, O’Connell hurried out from the glass doors, attempting to reach the crease in time. By this point, the umpires were already discussing the situation with Khulna Tigers’ captain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mehidy, checking the umpire’s wristwatch, signalled that they wished to continue with their appeal for a timed-out dismissal, the report said.
The umpires then declared O’Connell out, lifting a finger to signal the scorers, based on clause 40.1 of the BPL playing conditions, which aligns with men’s T20I regulations. This rule mandates that an incoming batter must be ready to face the next delivery within 30 seconds of the previous batter’s dismissal or retirement, failing which they can be timed out.
As O’Connell dejectedly walked off the field, Mehidy reconsidered and spoke to the umpires again, ultimately calling O’Connell back to bat. The commentators praised Mehidy for upholding the spirit of cricket.
However, the drama didn’t end there. On the very first ball O’Connell faced, he hit it straight to Mehidy.
This incident was particularly notable as Mehidy had been part of the Bangladesh team that appealed for a time-out against Angelo Mathews during the previous year’s ODI World Cup, a decision that sparked considerable debate within the cricket community.
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