Miraz revokes timed out appeal to bring back O’Connell

Tom O'Connell, the Australian cricketer for Chittagong Kings, faced an unusual turn of events during Tuesday's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match against Khulna Tigers.

Initially declared out for a time violation, O'Connell was recalled by Khulna captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, making him the first player in BPL history to avoid being officially timed out.

The incident occurred during the seventh over of Chittagong's innings. Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Haider Ali on the first ball of the over, bringing O'Connell to the crease as the new batter.

However, he failed to take his position within the stipulated two-minute timeframe. By the time O'Connell entered the field, the deadline had passed.

Khulna Tigers lodged an appeal with on-field umpire Tanvir Ahmed, who promptly declared O'Connell out under the time-out rule.

The Australian batter, visibly resigned, began his walk back to the pavilion. However, Khulna captain Miraz intervened, signalling for O'Connell to return and resume batting.

Despite being spared from the rare time-out dismissal, O'Connell's reprieve was short-lived.

He was bowled out by Nawaz on the very first delivery he faced, becoming the sixth batter to fall as Chittagong struggled at 56 for 6 in pursuit of a daunting 204-run target.

Miraz's sportsmanship was a rare highlight in an otherwise dominant performance by Khulna.

The gesture underscored the spirit of cricket, even in high-stakes matches like the BPL.

However, Chittagong's chances of a comeback had already dwindled significantly by then.