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'The Lowest An Opposition Stooped To..'- Mathews Roasts Shakib & BAN For Timed Out Dismissal

image-lon88hrmMathews in a conversation with the on-field umpires. (AP)

Veteran Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who recently became the first international batter to be dismissed due to a 'timed out' ruling, strongly criticised Shakib Al Hasan and the Bangladesh team. 

The incident Mathews was referring to occurred when he was adjusting his helmet after the strap broke while preparing to face Shakib Al Hasan. 

Although Mathews arrived in time after the dismissal of another player, Shakib appealed to the on-field umpire, Marias Erasmus, for a timed-out dismissal. Mathews was subsequently ruled out for not getting ready within two minutes. 

Despite the batter's efforts to explain that his equipment malfunctioned at the last moment, the decision was upheld.

Mathews characterised their conduct as "disgraceful" and suggested that it raised serious concerns about the state of cricket. He stated that he had lost respect for Shakib and claimed to have video evidence to support his claims, which would be shared later. 

He maintained that he had not engaged in any wrongdoing and criticised what he viewed as a lack of common sense in the situation. 

The seam-bowling all-rounder also remarked that this incident marked the lowest point he had witnessed in his 15-year-long international cricket career, attributing the actions to the Bangladesh team and suggesting that it might not have occurred with any other team.

"It was disgraceful from Shakib Al Hasan and Bangladesh. If they want to play cricket like that, there is something wrong drastically. Just disgraceful. Up to today I had a lot of respect for Shakib, but he lost all," said Mathews in the post-match presser. 

"We have video evidence, we will put it out later. I have done nothing wrong. It’s a disgraceful act from Shakib and Bangladesh. There was no common sense at that moment. This is the lowest an opposition team stooped to in my 15-year international career. It was Bangladesh that's why it happened, I don't think any other team would've done it," he added.

This incident marked an unprecedented occurrence in international cricket and sparked discussions regarding the 'timed out' rule and the decision's impact on the spirit of the game.

The controversy had no adverse impact on Bangladesh, as they went on to win the match by three wickets, eliminating Sri Lanka from the 2023 World Cup. Shakib was named the player of the match for his all-round performance.