Angelo Mathews Criticizes Bangladesh
Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews expressed his strong displeasure with Bangladesh’s decision to dismiss him via ‘time out,’ labeling it as “disgraceful” and claiming it left him in “complete shock.” Mathews made history as the first batter to be timed out in international cricket during a dramatic match against Bangladesh in the World Cup, which took place amid severe air pollution.
Mathews defended his actions, stating, “I haven’t done anything wrong. I had two minutes to get ready, which I did, but there was an equipment malfunction, and I don’t know where common sense had gone. It was disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh.” He emphasized that his delay was a matter of seconds beyond the allotted time, and he considered it a matter of common sense rather than any intentional wrongdoing.
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His dismissal added another layer to the already tense rivalry between the two teams. Mathews walked in after Sadeera Samarawickrama’s dismissal and realized that the strap of his helmet was broken. He failed to get ready to face the ball within two minutes, prompting Bangladesh to appeal, which the umpires upheld despite Mathews’ protests.
Notably, the two teams did not exchange handshakes after the match, and Mathews commented on this, saying, “You want to respect people who respect us. We are all ambassadors of this beautiful game. If you don’t respect and use your common sense, then what more can you ask for?”
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Mathews also expressed his frustration regarding the incident and questioned why the umpires didn’t use the available video evidence to make a fair decision. He stressed the importance of player safety and the need for common sense in such situations.
He concluded by stating, “In my 15 years, I have never seen a team going down to this level. Obviously umpires could have checked upstairs (with the TV umpire). I’m not saying that if I would have been there I would have won the match. We need to have common sense; it was clearly a malfunction. I didn’t pull it (strap) and break it. I was in complete shock. Unfortunately, it happens with Bangladesh. I don’t think any other team would do that.”
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Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan defended his decision to appeal, stating that he was following the rules and that Mathews had not taken guard within the specified time. When asked if it went against the spirit of cricket, Shakib argued that if that were the case, the ICC should change the rules. He also mentioned that Mathews had asked if he would withdraw the appeal, to which Shakib responded that he understood the situation but wouldn’t change his decision.
