In one of the most bizarre images ever observed on a cricket pitch, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan was stretchered off the ground after missing a simple catch as the ball continued to strike him as he stood watching. The commentators assumed that Mehidy Hasan lost track of the ball in the crowd’s backdrop, but many watching found the situation rather amusing, as he made no attempt to collect the ball at the gully despite the fact that the ball was directed towards him.
The event occurred on the second ball of South Africa’s second innings in the St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth Test. Sarel Erwee directed the ball to the gully, where Mehidy Hasan remained still as if the ball were heading in another direction. Slow-motion replays showed Mehidy watching elsewhere, as the ball plummeted at a catchable height directly onto his torso.
Here is the footage of Mehidy Hasan’s dropped catch:
Wild scenes pic.twitter.com/vQ2fsBfgEC
— Gareth Jenkinson (@gazza_jenks) April 10, 2022
The circumstances became ominous when Mehidy Hasan collapsed instantaneously, unable to bear the anguish. After that, the all-rounder had to be carted off the field holding his chest. He was afterwards treated in the dressing room and quickly returned to the field, where he began bowling as well.
The video quickly became popular, with funny replies. According to some, it was the ugliest dropped catch ever, since Mehidy Hasan had no idea where the ball was even as it was heading right at him.
The second Test between South Africa and Bangladesh is heavily favoured by the hosts after they amassed 453 runs while batting first and then knocked Bangladesh out for 217 runs in the first innings of the match. South Africa elected not to enforce the follow-on and instead batted for a second time to strengthen their advantage, by increasing their lead. The South African team is already leading the series by 1-0 and would look to gain another victory with a weakened side.
