Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews called out Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan as "a cheat" on social media. He urged the ICC to deliver "justice" after he became the first player in international cricket to be "timed out" on Monday, during the World Cup.
Mathews had expressed his displeasure during the press conference after the defeat, which also ended Sri Lanka's hopes of progressing at the World Cup. He stated that Shakib's appeal for the controversial dismissal had been "disgraceful."
The 36-year-old had violated the World Cup rule stating that a new batter must be ready to face a delivery within two minutes of a wicket falling. Mathews clarified in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter that he had been in a position with seconds to spare before the chinstrap on his helmet broke, requiring a new one to be brought out. He supported his claim with time-stamped video screenshots.
"Video evidence shows I still had five more seconds even after the helmet gave way!" he wrote. "Can the fourth umpire rectify this, please? I mean, safety is paramount, as I couldn't face the bowler without a helmet."
"This is clear cheating; I want justice," he added in another post.
However, his stance contradicted that of fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock, who explained, "In the incident this afternoon, the batter wasn't ready to receive the ball within those two minutes even before the strap became an issue for him." He shared this during an on-pitch interview after the game at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Many prominent figures in the cricket world expressed support for Mathews.
Former South Africa bowler Dale Steyn commented that the incident "wasn't cool," while Australia's Usman Khawaja called it "ridiculous."
Former India captain Gautam Gambhir branded it "pathetic," and Pakistan great Waqar Younis said, "That wasn't good for the spirit of cricket. I am old school, and I think that was a lot of drama to get Angelo Mathews out." Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif blamed Shakib for appealing for the dismissal and not reconsidering even after being asked by the on-field umpires whether he wanted to continue with it. "Shakib should believe in winning, but not 'winning at all costs,'" he posted on X.
Shakib defended his decision in his post-match press conference, emphasizing that his actions were within the rules and that he had no regrets.
He received support from former England captain Michael Vaughan, who stated that, in his experience, the "spirit of the game" had always been more honored in the breach.
"Yes, Shakib is going to get loads of people, particularly on social media, saying he broke the spirit of the game; he's a disgrace," he told Cricbuzz. "He's well within his rights; it's the laws of the game. It's utter nonsense talking about the spirit of the game; the umpire's got it right."
