‘Shakib stooped so low’: Angelo Mathews

Sri Lankarsquos Angelo Mathews branded Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan as ldquodisgracefulrdquo after he became the first player in 146 years of international cricket to be given ldquotimed outrdquo in a bitter World Cup clash Mathews was adjudged to be out after failing to take strike within the twominute time limit when he came out to bat on MondayHe had been unable to secure his helmet strap an action which delayed the resumption of play and prompted Shakib to successfully appeal for his wicket Shakib refused to withdraw the appealldquoI donrsquot know where the common sense went because obviously itrsquos disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh if they want to play cricket and to stoop down to that level I think there is something drastically wrongrdquo an angry Mathews told reporters in New DelhiEquipment malfunctionldquoIn my 15year career Irsquove never seen a team going down to that level because the umpires also admitted that itrsquos equipment malfunction and they could have gone upstairs and checked againrdquoHe added ldquoI donrsquot think any other team would do that because it was black and white It was equipment malfunction the helmet coming off It was a big safety issue as wellShakib Al HasanldquoShakib had the option of recalling me but he decided to go the other wayrdquoAccording to laws of cricket after the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batsman the incoming player must be ready to receive the ball within two minutesOnfield umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth talked to both teams before the decision was upheld The 36yearold Mathews reluctantly trudged off with most spectators appearing bemused by the decisionAlso ReadThe real King in our midstMathews said the team has proof of the time it took him to reach the crease and it was less than two minutes and therefore well within the rules ldquoWe will put out a statement later onrdquo said MathewsldquoWe have video evidence footage everything was looked at Irsquom not just coming and saying things here Irsquom talking proofrdquolsquoWasnrsquot trying to waste timersquoHe said ldquoWell as I said itrsquos a technicality which needs to be discussed because itrsquos a World Cup game and what happens if this happens in the last over when you have three or four runs to get in the last wicket I wasnrsquot trying to waste timerdquoFourth umpire Adrian Holdstock spoke to Star Sports during the innings break and said ldquoin the instance this afternoon the batter wasnrsquot ready to receive the ball within those two minutes even before the strap became an issue for himrdquo But Mathews said ldquoIf you ask the question now he would have a different answerI have the video evidence and if anybody wants to contest it I urge them tordquo The dismissal contributed to an acrimonious atmosphere and the players of both teams did not shake hands after the match which was won by Bangladesh by three wickets and ended Sri Lankarsquos slim chances of making the semifinalsldquoYou need to respect people who respect us They have to respect the game as well We are all ambassadors of this beautiful game including the umpiresrdquo Mathews said on not going ahead with the customary handshakes after the match ldquoIf you donrsquot respect and donrsquot use common sense than what more you can ask forrdquoShakib remained defiant and when asked whether he had any regrets for his actions the star allrounder said ldquonot at allrdquo ldquoOne of our fielders came to me and said if you appeal the law says hersquos out because he hasnrsquot taken his guard within the time framerdquo said ShakibShakibrsquos standldquoSo then I appealed and the umpire asked me whether Irsquom going to call him back or not I said lsquoI wonrsquot call him backrsquo rdquoHe added ldquoItrsquos in the laws I donrsquot know if itrsquos right or wrong but I had to take a decision to you know make sure that my team wins and whatever I had to do I have to do itrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever