The match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the 2024 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi became one of the most controversial games in tournament history. The controversy started early in the match with heated moments, such as verbal exchanges between Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis and Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and staredowns between Charith Asalanka and the Bangladesh bowlers. However, the most significant incident occurred when Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews was given out “timed out” in the 25th over. This marked the first instance of a cricketer being dismissed in this manner in the history of international cricket.
The controversy around Mathews’ dismissal raised questions about the umpires’ decision, the specific “timed out” rule, and whether Bangladesh’s captain Shakib should have withdrawn the appeal. The incident led to significant anger and frustration within the Sri Lanka camp. Mathews expressed his disappointment by throwing his helmet and gloves in disgust upon returning to the dugout, while Captain Kusal Mendis and coach Chris Silverwood appeared shocked by the turn of events.
The “timed out” rule in cricket pertains to a batsman taking too much time to come to the crease and face the next delivery. According to the Laws of Cricket, a batsman must be ready to face the next ball within three minutes after the fall of the previous wicket or when a new batsman arrives at the crease. If the batsman takes longer than three minutes, they can be declared “timed out” by the umpire, and they are dismissed without facing a ball.
Whether the umpires were right in applying the rule and whether Shakib should have withdrawn the appeal are points of contention and debate, as indicated in the provided information. The controversy surrounding this incident made it a memorable and highly debated moment in cricket history.
The umpires provided clarification on a rule, but Angelo Mathews disagreed. He claimed that he had reached the crease within the two-minute time limit, and later, the strap of his helmet broke, which he believed should be considered a safety equipment malfunction.
During Sri Lanka’s turn to field, they displayed a hostile reception to Shakib Al Hasan when he came out to bat. Mathews also taunted Shakib by pointing at his wrist to signal a time out when Shakib was dismissed. The tension between the two teams continued even after the match, which Bangladesh won.
After Bangladesh scored the winning runs with leg byes in the 42nd over, the Sri Lankan players shook hands with the umpires and left the field. However, they refused to shake hands with the Bangladesh batsmen, Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Towhid Hridoy, which is a customary practice after cricket matches. The Sri Lankan players departed without exchanging pleasantries with their opponents, though the support staff of both teams did shake hands.
When asked about this decision, Mathews explained that the Bangladesh players did not show respect towards them or the game, and therefore, they should not expect cordial behavior in return.
Mathews stated, “Yeah, you need to respect people who respect us. It doesn’t mean that – they have to respect the game itself. I mean, we all are ambassadors of this beautiful game, including the umpires. So then, if you don’t respect and if you don’t use your common sense, what more can you ask for?”
In the match, Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets, ending Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the World Cup semifinals. Najmul Hossain Shanto and skipper Shakib Al Hasan were the top performers for Bangladesh, with scores of 90 and 82, respectively. Sri Lanka managed to score 279 runs, with Charith Asalanka contributing a brilliant 108. Mathews played a crucial role as a bowler, dismissing Shakib and Shanto in consecutive overs, but Bangladesh’s tailenders held their ground to secure the victory.
In the 11th over of the match, Mathews missed an opportunity to dismiss Shakib when he was on 7 runs because Asalanka dropped a straightforward catch at short extra cover.
Shakib and Shanto played a crucial partnership that eventually led to their team’s victory. The match conditions became challenging as dew made it tough to grip the wet ball. However, they maintained a rapid scoring rate until Asalanka finally made amends by holding onto a leading edge off Shakib’s bat.
Shanto displayed a brilliant performance by hitting 12 fours during his innings, which lasted 101 balls. His exceptional contribution was ended when he was clean-bowled by Matthews. Shanto had previously scored an unbeaten 59 runs in Bangladesh’s opening win against Afghanistan but had struggled, managing only 28 runs in the following six games.
Dilshan Madushanka, a left-arm fast bowler, was the leading wicket-taker of the World Cup, having picked up 21 wickets in total. He took the wickets of openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das during the batting powerplay and later clean-bowled Musfiqur Rahim in his return spell.
In the end, Towhid Hridoy played a crucial role, scoring an unbeaten 15 runs, including two pulled sixes, which helped Bangladesh secure the victory.