While Mathews was understandably disappointed, Ashwin acknowledged that Shakib had every right to challenge the dismissal. Earlier this week, after captain Shakib Al Hasan made an appeal, veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first-ever cricket player to be timed out in an international match. He was asked to leave the pitch without having to face a delivery during the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh.
In the realm of cricket, the dismissal caused quite a commotion. Many former cricketers who started the’spirit of cricket’ argument backed Mathews, who called Shakib’s act ‘disgraceful’; few others questioned the former captain of Sri Lanka.
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Following the ICC rules, Mathews had reached the crease in the allowed amount of time. However, as he was adjusting his helmet prior to facing the first ball, his chin strap broke off. He motioned to the dugout for an extra helmet rather than asking the umpire for permission.
The batter is supposed to be prepared to take the first delivery in two minutes, but because of Mathews’ actions, Shakib who was reportedly informed of this by his teammate applied for a timed-out dismissal, which resulted in the Sri Lankan batsman being replaced.
“There are two camps in the debate: those in favour of the rules and those who support the spirit of cricket. Mathews wanted to get his helmet fixed since it wasn’t fitting him well when he got out to bat. In a different film that I saw, Shakib was permitted to bring his guard later even though he had forgotten to bring it against Sri Lanka. Between these two countries, it has practically turned into a war,” stated Ashwin.
“Shakib did, in fact, appeal the timed-out call, and the umpire agreed to call it out. There have been rumours circulating recently that Mathews was forewarned by the umpires of the timed-out dismissal. However, Mathews was understandably furious that he was let out. Everyone will feel awful about it, so nobody should leave like that,” he continued.
