The Indian cricket team ruled the roost on Day 4 of the Kanpur Test, smashing 285/9 in the first innings before inviting Bangladesh to bat for the second time on the day. While Indian batters maintained the upper hand on Bangladesh in the contest, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the few touring players who managed to stand up to the India's lineup, both with the bat and the ball. However, it wasn't all smooth for Miraz in the middle of the pitch at the Green Pak Stadium in Kanpur. After the end of the day's play, the Bangladesh batter revealed that he was also stung by a bee.
Despite the discomfort Mehidy faced on the 22-yard strip, he scored 22 runs off 42 balls before being dismissed by India's Jasprit Bumrah. However, Miraz shone the most with the ball among Bangladesh bowlers, bagging 4 wickets in the first innings.
"I didn't know that the bee was inside me. After I played the shot, it stung me, and then I got to know about it and felt the pain," Mehidy said in the press conference after the day's play.
During the press conference, Mehidy also spoke about Shakib al Hasan's retirement decision. While there are those who think the political turmoil in Bangladesh had a role to play in the all-rounder's decision, Mehidy revealed that he and other teammates knew of Shakib's call well before.
"Shakib bhai told about it earlier and we knew it. He had told us about his plans to retire from Test cricket. It's not that he took the decision all of a sudden. It has to go through a process, he had to talk to the team management and discussed it with the players and that's how we accepted him," Mehidy added.
Bangladesh have a huge task in front of them as they look to salvage a draw in the Kanpur Test. But, the tourists also know that Indian bowlers will come at them hard right from the first ball on Day 5.