When Mathews timed out, Sri Lanka refused to shake hands with Bangladeshi players, fighting controversy with controversy

The Sri Lankan players walked off after shaking hands with the umpires after Bangladesh scored the winning runs. They declined to shake hands with Bangladesh.

Not only would the World Cup 2023 match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka take place in the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi, but it would also go down in history as one of the most contentious matches ever. From the first over, there were intense moments in the match between Bangladeshi pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis, as well as between Charith Asalanka and the Bangladeshi bowlers.

However, everything came crashing down when Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews was timed out in the 25th over. In the records of international cricket, he became the first player to be timed out.

Following a handshake with the umpires, the Sri Lankan players left after Bangladesh scored the winning runs in the 42nd by leg byes. in the midst they refused to shake hands with Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Towhid Hridoy, the hitters from Bangladesh.

Also Read: Match preview AUS vs AFG, From playing XI to pitch report, All details here

As a regular practice following every cricket match, the players did not form a line to make small talk. Handshakes were not exchanged when the Sri Lankan players left the field. No attempts were made to put out the fire by the Bangladesh side either. Still, there were handshakes between the support staffs on both sides.

In response, Mathews claimed the Bangladesh players didn’t respect Sri Lanka or the game, so they shouldn’t expect polite behavior in return. This was in response to a question regarding Sri Lanka’s choice not to shake hands with the players after the match.