Angelo Mathews has labelled Shakib Al Hasan “disgraceful” for appealing to have him ‘Timed Out’ before the start of his innings, making Mathews the first player in international cricket to be dismissed that way.
The incident took place when Sri Lanka were batting first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Mathews came out to bat following the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama, but as he prepared to face up, the chin-strap on his helmet snapped off. Rather than face his first ball from Shakib before changing the helmet, Mathews signalled for a new one straight away. Shakib appealed for Mathews to be Timed Out, which was upheld by the umpires.
While, according to fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock, Mathews was over the two-minute mark, stipulated in the ICC Playing Conditions as the maximum time limit on a batter getting to the crease, before his helmet broke, the former Sri Lanka captain claimed in the post match press conference he still had time to spare before the strap broke.
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said. “I have two minutes to get to the crease and get myself ready, which I did. And then it was an equipment malfunction. And I don’t know where the common sense went, because it’s obviously disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh. If they want to play cricket like that, stoop down to that level, there’s something wrong drastically. [I would understand] if I got [to the crease] late, if I got past my two minutes to get to the crease and then the law [says you have to be ready within the two minutes and I was there [after] two minutes, 45 or 50 seconds… I still had, after my helmet broke off, I still had five more seconds to go. And the umpires also have said to our coaches that they didn’t see my helmet breaking. I mean, I was just asking for my helmet.
“So, it was just pure common sense. I’m not talking about mankading or obstructing the field here. This is just pure common sense and bringing the game into disrepute. It is absolutely disgraceful.”
Mathews added that the Sri Lanka team would issue further communications showing that he had been at the crease before the two-minute time limit had elapsed when his helmet broke, contrary to Holdstock’s interview claims.
“Up to today, I had utmost respect to him and Bangladesh team,” Mathews said. “Obviously, you all play to win. And if it’s within the rule, it’s fine. But the rule clearly says, in my incident today, within two minutes I was there. We have video evidence. We will put out a statement later on. We have video evidence, footage, everything was looked. I’m not just coming and saying things here. I’m talking with proof.
“So, we have the video evidence where from the time the catch was taken, and then from the time I walked into the crease, I still had five seconds after breaking my helmet. So, we talk about safety of the players – you guys tell me if it’s right for me to take my guard without my helmet on? It’s just pure common sense.
“That’s why I think the umpires also had a bigger job at the time, because they could have at least gone back and checked. So, we talk about player safety. And a wicketkeeper for the spinner, they don’t let him keep without his helmet. So how can I take my guard without my helmet? It’s complete equipment malfunction.”
“Where is the common sense?” he continued. “Here, I think in my 15 years of career, I’ve never seen a team going down to that level. Unfortunately, it happened against Bangladesh. I don’t think any other team would do that because it was black and white.”
Mathews was critical of the decision itself, though the law does not allow for a provision for batters having an issue with their kit. “In my opinion, yes [it’s an error],” he said. “Because if I haven’t done anything wrong, whose fault is it?
“Well, as I said, it’s a technicality which needs to be discussed because it’s a World Cup game and what happens if this happens in the last over when you have three or four runs to get in the last wicket. I mean, it’s just pure common sense.
“I wasn’t trying to waste time. I wasn’t trying to get advantage of anything. It was just pure equipment malfunction. And it just happened for the very first time in my career. And I’m absolutely shocked.
“I’m not going to say that if I had batted today, we would have won the match. I’m not saying that. I mean, I’m just talking about that incident where, obviously, it was a crucial time of the match. And we could have gone either way. I mean, we could have got 54, 60 runs more as well. You never know. But it was just pure disgraceful.”
He also derided Holdstock’s suggestion that Mathews was to blame for his helmet malfunction. “All of you guys heard, yeah?” he said. “It’s quite laughable, I think. It’s our responsibility, yes. If I went without a helmet to bat to a fast bowler, then it’s my responsibility, obviously. But something coming off, some equipment coming off, do you really think I would know it’s going to come off? I don’t understand the logic behind what he has said.”
Mathews also suggested that the official would retract his claim that his helmet broke outside of the two-minute time limit. “If you ask the question from now, he would have a different answer. Because we have evidence, video evidence. As I said, I’m not just saying what I’m just saying. I have the video evidence and if anybody wants to contest it, I urge them to.”
Despite the dismissal, Mathews managed to partly get his own back on Shakib when he was bowling. Having already had him dropped during his first over into the attack, Mathews came back on and snared him caught at mid-off for a 65-ball 82. Nevertheless, Bangladesh chased down their target of 280 with 53 balls and three wickets remaining.
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