Shakib fell from my sight, Angelo Mathews did not spare anyone, vented out his anger openly
Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews termed Shakib Al Hasan and Bangladesh’s appeal to give him ‘time out’ as extremely shameful. The captain of the opposing team said that he has no regrets because it is as per the rules. Mathews became the first batsman to be ‘timed out’ in international cricket. As soon as Mathews reached the crease and started putting on the helmet, its strap broke. He signaled for another helmet to be brought from the dressing room but it took more than two minutes.
Meanwhile, Shakib appealed for time out against Mathews and umpire Marais Erasmus declared him out. Mathews said that this action of Shakib and Bangladesh is very shameful and he does not think any other team would have done this. Mathews said in the press conference after the match, ‘Before today, I used to respect Shakib and Bangladesh a lot but now it is not so. I wasn’t wasting any time. Everyone could see that I was at the crease but the strap of my helmet broke. This is a simple case of equipment failure.
He said, ‘The actions of Shakib and Bangladesh are extremely shameful. If they want to play cricket like this then it is very shameful. I don’t think any other team would have done this. I also asked him to withdraw the appeal but he refused.
The Sri Lankan all-rounder also said that his team has video evidence that he had reached the crease on time and the umpire should have taken the help of technology before giving him out.
He said, ‘We have video evidence that I reached the crease on time. When I reached the crease I still had five seconds left. What can I do if after this there is a problem with my helmet? This is a question of player safety. If the wicketkeeper could not keep wickets against the spinner without wearing a helmet, then how could I face the bowler. The umpire should have resorted to technology before giving me out. If technology is available then it should be used.
When Sri Lankan players did not shake hands with Bangladesh players after the match, Mathews said that if any team does not respect them then how can they respect them.
