Angelo Mathews wants ‘justice’ after time out dismissal

NEW DELHI, November 7

Sri Lanka batsman Angelo Mathews demanded “justice” from the ICC and branded Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan “a cheat” on social media after becoming the first player to be timed out in international cricket at the World Cup on Monday.

Mathews had already made his feelings clear in the press conference after the defeat that ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of progressing at the World Cup, saying Shakib’s appeal for the controversial dismissal had been “disgraceful”.

The 36-year-old had breached the World Cup rule that a new batter must be ready to face a delivery within two minutes of a wicket falling.

Mathews said in a post on X that he had been in place with seconds to spare before the chinstrap on his helmet broke requiring a new one to be brought out, backing up his position with time-stamped video screenshots.

“Video evidence shows I still had five more seconds even after the helmet gave away!” he wrote. “Can the fourth umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn’t face the bowler without a helmet. This is clear cheating, I want justice,” he added in another post.

‘Spirit of cricket’

There was plenty of support for Mathews, with former South Africa bowler Dale Steyn saying the incident “wasn’t cool”, Australia’s Usman Khawaja calling it “ridiculous”, and former India captain Gautam Gambhir branded it as “pathetic”.

“I didn’t enjoy what I saw out there,” Pakistan great Waqar Younis said in a TV broadcast. “That wasn’t good for the spirit of cricket. I am old school and I think that was a lot of drama to get Angelo Mathews out.”

Shakib had defended his decision in his post-match press conference, saying his actions were within the rules and he had no regrets. — Reuters

Shakib ruled out of final game

New Delhi: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will miss his team’s final World Cup match after fracturing his finger during their win over Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said today, and will be replaced by Anamul Haque. Shakib scored 82, helping Bangladesh chase down 280, and took two wickets in a Player-of-the-Match performance. Reuters