The match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was certainly one of the most controversial matches of the current times as the players didn’t even shake hands after the match which is a custom among the teams.
It all happened after Sri Lanka batter Angelo Mathews was given timed-out by the umpires on the appeal of the Bangladeshi skipper Shakib-al-Hasan. Angelo Mathews is the first cricketer in the history of 146 years of cricket to get out in this manner.
After Sadeera Samarawickrama got out, Angelo Mathews came on the crease to bat but his helmet’s strap got broken and he asked for a replacement from the dressing room. After that, Shakib-al-Hasan appealed timed-out because the new batter didn’t take the stance in the required time period, which is 2 minutes. Angelo Mathews tried to convince the Bangladeshi skipper and the umpires but Shakib-al-Hasan was in no mood to withdraw the appeal.
During the post-match press conference, Angelo Mathews minced no words in lambasting the Bangladeshi skipper and his team and called their act disgraceful. When he was asked about the players not making customary handshakes, he said that they need to respect those who respect them and all of them are ambassadors of cricket including the umpires but if they don’t respect and they don’t have common sense, then what else they can expect.
Angelo Mathews further said that in his career, he hasn’t seen any other team stooping so low for getting a wicket and this means that there is something seriously wrong with them. He further added that Shakib-al-Hasan had the option to withdraw his appeal but he chose otherwise and in his opinion, no other team would have done that.
As far as the match is concerned, Bangladesh chose to bowl first after winning the toss and Sri Lanka put up a competitive total of 279 runs in 49.3 overs with the help of Charith Asalanka’s century (108 runs).
Bangladesh chased the target successfully with the help of brilliant knocks of Najmal Hossain Shanto (90 runs) and Shakib Al Hasan (82 runs).
What is your opinion in this regard?