Angelo Mathews reveals why Sri Lanka players didn’t shake hands with Bangladesh after CWC 2023 match in Delhi
Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka by 3 wickets in the CWC 2023 match in Delhi.
Angelo Mathews expressed strong criticism towards Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and his team due to his controversial ‘timed out’ dismissal, which created a significant uproar during the World Cup. Mathews, a Sri Lankan all-rounder, made history by becoming the first international cricketer to face a ‘timed out’ dismissal for not being ready to face the ball within two minutes of a wicket falling.
In the post-match press conference, Mathews strongly criticized Bangladesh’s behavior as ‘disgraceful’ during the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
The dramatic dismissal unfolded in the 25th over of the Sri Lankan innings. Angelo Mathews took to the crease following the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama. However, he encountered a broken helmet strap and promptly signaled for a replacement instead of facing the bowler, Shakib Al Hasan, which delayed the resumption a bit.
As a result, Bangladesh appealed for a ‘time out.’ Mathews engaged in a heated discussion with umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth, explaining the problem with his helmet strap. He also approached Shakib, but the opposition skipper didn’t take his appeal back. Consequently, Mathews was compelled to leave the field. An angered Mathews, who had joined the World Cup as a replacement player, stormed back to the dugout and expressed his frustration by forcefully smashing his helmet outside the boundary rope.
Mathews’ ‘timed out’ dismissal added a new dimension to the longstanding rivalry between the two teams, representing the first occurrence in international cricket across all formats and intensifying the competition. Mathews, in the second innings, dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and gave him a send-off signalling at his wrist as well.
Angelo Mathews reveals why Sri Lanka players didn’t shake hands with Bangladesh
Sri Lanka got eliminated from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals race with a three-wicket loss to Bangladesh in a heated match. Angelo Mathews made history as the first player in international cricket, men’s or women’s, to be dismissed after being timed out. Mathews’s slow approach to the crease and request for a new helmet led to a contentious appeal by Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan. While, later in the innings, Charith Asalanka’s brilliant 108 off 105 helped Sri Lanka reach a total of 279.
Tensions ran high during Bangladesh’s innings, especially towards Shakib, but he persevered and powered Bangladesh’s chase with 82 off 65, forming a crucial 169-run partnership with Najmul Hossain Shanto in just 149 balls. Mathews made a dramatic comeback by dismissing Shakib and Shanto, but it turned into a seesaw battle with Sri Lanka taking wickets. However, it was too much for the bowlers, and Bangladesh secured their second win of the tournament, marking their first-ever victory against Sri Lanka in the World Cup.
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After the loss, Sri Lankan players skipped the customary post-match handshake, likely due to the game’s controversies and tensions.
At the post match press conference Mathews was asked, “You spoke about the Bangladesh players’ behaviour being absolutely not on. What about the behaviour of your own players, refusing to shake hands with the opposition?”
In reply, Mathews emphasized the idea of mutual respect in the context of cricket. He suggested that it’s important to show respect to those who show respect to your team.
He said, “Yeah, you need to respect people who respect us. It doesn’t mean that – they have to respect the game itself. I mean, we all are ambassadors of this beautiful game, including the umpires. So then, if you don’t respect and if you don’t use your common sense, what more can you ask for?
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