Angelo Mathews calls Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan a ‘crook’

• Fresh controversy has hit the ICC World Cup 2023.
• Angelo Mathews demands justice from ICC.
• The Sri Lankan batting gets a lot of support.

NEW DELHI: Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews on Monday slammed Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan, calling him a “fraud” after becoming the first player in international cricket to be ‘Timed Out’.

The controversial decision sparked a debate with many objections about the sportsmanship of the Bangladesh team.

Mathews had already made his feelings clear at the press conference following the defeat that ended Sri Lanka’s hopes of progressing to the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, saying Shakib’s call for the controversial dismissal was “disgraceful”.

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

Mathews said in a post on X, officially known as Twitter, that he was in position with seconds to spare before the chin strap on his helmet broke, requiring a new one to come out, supporting his position with time-stamped video footage.

“The video evidence shows that I still had five seconds left even after the helmet was handed off!” He wrote. “Can the fourth official fix this please? I mean safety is paramount as I couldn’t face the bowler without a helmet.

“This is clear cheating, I want justice,” he added in another post.

This is in direct contrast to fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock.

“In the incident this afternoon, the batsman was not ready to receive the ball in those two minutes, even before the strap became a problem for him,” he said in an on-field interview after the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

“As a batsman, I think you have to make sure you have all your equipment in place … because you really have to be ready to face the ball within two minutes, not ready to set up or take your guard.”

“Spirit of Cricket”

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

“I didn’t enjoy what I saw out there,” Pakistan great Waqar Younis said on telecast.

“That was not good for the spirit of cricket. I’m old school and I think it was too much drama to get Angelo Mathews out.”

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif was among those who accused Shakib of appealing the dismissal and not reconsidering even after being asked by the on-field umpires if he wanted to go ahead with it.

“Shakib should believe in winning but not ‘win at all costs’. That was a shame,” he posted on X.

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

He was backed by former England captain Michael Vaughan, who said in his experience the much-vaunted “spirit of the game” was always more honored in the breach.

“Yes, Shakib will find a lot of people, especially on social media, who will say he broke the spirit of the game, it’s a shame,” he told Cricbuzz.

“It’s within his rights, it’s the laws of the game. It’s absolute nonsense to talk about the spirit of the game, the referee has understood that.”