Kusal Mendis and Shakib al Hasan defend themselves against the dismissal of Angelo Mathews
The BAN vs SL World Cup match may be over, but the war of words between captains Kusal Mendis and Shakib al Hasan continued after the match. The point of discussion? Expulsion due to time-out of Angelo Mathews. The Lankan all-rounder became the first international cricketer to be dismissed in this manner after Shakib al Hasan appealed to the umpires.
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Despite pleading his case to the referees and Shakib, Angelo was sacked after the Bangladesh captain refused to withdraw his appeal. It was later revealed that Mathews arrived in the area before the stipulated time of 2 minutes.
In the second innings, Mathews dismissed Shakib and sparked the clock celebration, but in turn it was the Bengal Tigers who took the game with 3 wickets to spare.
In the post-match presentation, both captains defended their versions and blamed the other. Kusal Mendis claimed that the referees made a wrong decision, while Shakib said that he does not know if the decision was right or wrong, but he took the risk because he was at war.
“It’s very disappointing: when Angelo arrived at the area, there were 5 seconds left. Then he discovered that the helmet strap had come loose. It’s disappointing that the referees couldn’t intervene and make the right decision.
”Kusal Mendis said after the match.
“One of our defenders came to see me and told me that if he appeals now he will be eliminated. Then I appealed and the referees asked me if I’m serious or if I’m going to recant. It’s in the laws. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. I was at war and I had to make a decision to make sure my team won. Right or wrong, there will be debates, but if it’s in the rules, I don’t mind taking those risks. That (altercation with Mathews) helped, a little more fighting, I’m 36 years old and normally fighting is not easy, but I’m happy that it was like that today.”Shakib al Hasan said about the dismissal of Angelo Mathews.
