Angelo Mathews has become the first-ever player to be given out without facing a ball. The ICC ODI World Cup group stage clash between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will go into the history books for showcasing one of the most bizarre ways to go out. Unfortunately for Angelo Mathews, he has made the unwanted history of being the first ever international cricketer to be ātimed outā.
Build Up To Angelo Mathews Being Timed Out
In the 25th over, the Sri Lanka cricket team looked to be struggling after Sadeera Samarawickrama advanced down the wicket and clipped the ball into the hands of Mahmudullah at deep mid-wicket. This left Sri Lanka at 135/4 with over half of their batting overs to still be played and their top four batsmen out. At this stage, the game was perfectly in balance, with Bangladesh beginning to target Sri Lankaās lower order.
Angelo Mathews Dismissal
The experienced Angelo Mathews walked out to the middle to face Shakib Al Hasan after the wicket in the previous delivery. There seemed to be an issue with Mathewsā strap on his helmet, which halted the game as he called to the sidelines for a replacement helmet. The chinstrap on his helmet was broken, meaning he could not face the next ball; however, the new helmet took too long to come.
Why Was Angelo Mathews Given Out?
Failure to face a ball within two minutes resulted in the umpire Marais Erasmus sending Angelo Mathews back to the dressing room, leaving Sri Lanka 135/5 and the Bangladesh cricket team in control of the game.
The rules of the tournament state that new batters have to be ready to face the ball within two minutes. This meant the umpire had no choice but to declare Angelo Mathews as out.
Fall Out Of The Dismissal
There was a long discussion on the field of play between Mathews and the umpire, which ended in the latter leaving the pitch shaking his head. As he crossed the boundary rope, he launched his helmet into the ground and was visibly enraged.
The Sri Lanka team coach, Chris Silverwood, looked perplexed and marched to the third umpireās room for more clarity on the hugely bizarre situation. The āspirit of the gameā was being brought into question as this type of dismissal has never been seen before on the international stage, never mind in a game as important as the World Cup.
Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh Result
Sri Lanka battled back to reach 279 from 49.3 overs with an outstanding knock from Charith Asalanka, who scored 108 runs from 105 balls (102.86 S/R, six 4s and five 6s). However, the total was not enough to hold off Bangladesh who started slowly at 41/2 before Najmul Hossain Shanto and the captain Shakib Al Hasan put together a 169 run partnership to take the game away from Sri Lanka. Bangladesh ended up limping across the line with a few late wickets leaving them victorious on 282/7 after just 41.1 overs.
The result leaves both teams on 4 points in the tables after 8 games (2 wins, 6 losses), meaning neither Sri Lanka or Bangladesh will qualify for the semi-finals. Although both teams are now out of the World Cup, they put on a great show in a closely contested and controversial tie. The Indian national cricket team remain favourites to lift the World Cup on home soil after a very impressive 8 wins from 8 in the group stage.
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