In a recent turn of events during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Sri Lankan allrounder Angelo Mathews found himself at the center of a controversial dismissal, becoming the first batter in international cricket to be timed out. The incident unfolded when Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed, claiming that Mathews had exceeded the two minute time limit to be ready to face a delivery.
Mathews defended himself, stating that he had arrived on time and, upon discovering his broken helmet strap, called for a replacement, causing a delay. This contentious situation has divided opinions among former cricketers, with one notable voice being former Indian batsman Mohammed Kaif.
Expressing his disapproval, Kaif criticized Shakib for not retracting the appeal and suggested that he should learn from the Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
Kaif referred to a past incident where Rohit Sharma withdrew a run-out appeal during an ODI between India and Sri Lanka. The appeal involved Mohammed Shami removing the bails at the non-striker’s end when the batsman Shanaka was on 98 and his team needed 83 runs off three balls. Despite the opportunity to dismiss Shanaka, Rohit chose sportsmanship over victory and withdrew the appeal.
“Shakib should learn from Rohit Sharma,” Kaif wrote on X.
“I didn’t know Shami did that and then appealed. Shanaka was batting at 98. His batting was outstanding, and credit to him. We can’t dismiss him like that. Our plan was different, and we didn’t consider this,” Rohit said during the post match interview.
In contrast, Mathews, addressing the controversy in a media interaction, expressed his belief that Shakib had the option to withdraw the appeal.
“Yes, Shakib had a choice. He knew it wasn’t time-wasting, and I was within the time limit. He had the option to withdraw the appeal, but he chose a different path. In my opinion, if it were any other team, they wouldn’t have taken that route,” Mathews said.