146 years in international cricket and the world had never witnessed a ‘Timed Out‘ dismissal at the international level before today. We’re at the 2023 ICC World Cup and today’s group stage game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw the former Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews being dismissed timed out, thanks to an appeal from Shakib al Hasan which the latter refused to withdraw after being asked twice.
The game went on and eventually, Bangladesh secured a 3-wicket victory, chasing 280 with quite a few balls to spare. And while the presentations were done and Shakib was awarded the player of the game, everyone only wanted to hear his take on the controversial dismissal, which is said to have gone against the Spirit of the Game in cricket.
Shakib al Hasan clarifies timed out dismissal
In the post match presentation, presenter Sanjay Manjrekar quickly asked Shakib what his thought process was, and how the appeal came about. Shakib mentioned that one of his fielders came up to him and said that you can appeal and Mathews would be given out. At the time, Shakib asked the umpires and after having a joke or two on it, he said that he’s serious about the appeal and wants to take it ahead.
Shakib Al Hasan said, “umpires asked me if I’m serious or not, I said I’m serious and I want this. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, if it’s in the rules, I don’t mind”. pic.twitter.com/RhCx3xvgNh
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 6, 2023
Shakib further mentioned, “I don’t know whether it was right or wrong,” but it was within the laws of the game. He didn’t seem too convinced about whether he did was right or wrong, knowing that he would cope criticism about it regarding Spirit of Cricket, but he went ahead with it anyway. He said while playing he’s a warrior and he made a decision that would help them in war at that point of time.
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Post that, Neroli Meadows, Ian Bishop, and Manjrekar got into a further chat as to whether it was right or wrong. Bishop mentioned that he didn’t like the spirit of it but that it wasn’t against the laws of the game. Similarly, Manjrekar praised Shakib for having the courage to take that decision, knowing they were desperate for a win and knowing that he would receive backlash for it later on.
What was better is that he came back out with the bat and scored 80+ which was his best knock with the bat this tournament so far. After having an outstanding CWC 2019, Shakib wasn’t at his best this time around, but he brought out his A-game today, and that’s something worth appreciating. As for other batsmen, we don’t think we’ll be seeing many strolling slowly out to bat anymore.
For more updates on CWC 2023 and other cricketing events from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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