'Both Him And Shakib Were Right,' Ashwin On Matthews Timed-Out Dismissal

Mathews' after wicket (AP Photos)

Sri Lankan veteran Angelo Mathews became a part of history by being the first-ever cricketer to get timed out in international cricket. The controversial incident occurred in Sri Lanka's recent matchup vs. Bangladesh in the CWC 2023.

Following the fall of a wicket, Mathews walked onto the field, but as he took his guard, the strap of his helmet came out, for which he sought a replacement. The unprecedented delay prompted Bangladesh captain Shakib-al-Hasan to appeal for a timed-out dismissal, which umpires had to withstand on the basis of cricketing laws.

Angelo Matthews pleaded his case to Shakib, who turned a deaf ear in a fit to lead his team to victory. The whole incident stirred up a large-scale controversy and reignited the "spirit of cricket" debate.

Meanwhile, Indian spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin, who often faced criticism for violating the subjective term "spirit of cricket,", weighed his thoughts on the timed-out dismissal controversy.

Ashwin refused to pick sides and declared both Angelo Matthews and Shakib Al Hasan's standpoints right in their own respective opinion. He added that Matthews had all the right to be upset as no batter would enjoy getting dismissed in such an uncanny fashion. However, at the same time, Shakib was well within his right to appeal.

Ashwin also revealed that he faced a similar situation during a test match against Australia held in Nagpur. He deliberately walked slowly onto the pitch to waste time. But later, the umpires informed that he would have been given timed-out had the Australians appealed.

Additionally, R Ashwin cited discrepancies in the details of the entire incident as the reason for the confusion. He says that while some claim Matthews was informed about the repercussions of the delay, many believe the Sri Lankan veteran arrived on the crease within the time limit and the delay was caused by a helmet malfunction.

"Both Angelo Mathews and Shakib Al Hasan were right. One person knew the rule, and the other person asked if he could let it go since it was a helmet malfunction. The affected party is certainly the one who got out," Ashwin said.

Having said that, Ashwin believes the entire incident was unfortunate, and it led to a massive debate owing to the sour cricketing relationship between the two nations.