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Cricket

ODI World Cup 2023: Former Pakistani captains provide their perspective on Angelo Mathews' dismissal

The incident of Angelo Matthews was the first time in the rich history of 146 years of the game where a player was give timed out in any format of the cricket.

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Shoaib Mallik and Misbah ul Haq (Source: Twitter)

The controversy surrounded Game 38 of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 which saw Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on November 6. One of the most significant talking points of the match revolved around the unfortunate dismissal of veteran Sri Lankan batsman, Angelo Mathews. This was the first time in the history of the game that a player was given timed out.

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 In the middle overs of the game after the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama, as Matthews was preparing to take guard upon his arrival at the crease, the strap of his helmet broke, resulting in a delay. Bangladesh's captain, Shakib Al Hasan, lodged an appeal over this delay, leading to Mathews being dismissed as 'timed out' without even facing a ball. This peculiar incident sparked controversy, drawing the attention of numerous pundits and former Pakistani captains.

Touching upon which the former Pakistan cricketer Misbah-Ul-Haq recently shared his perspective on Mathews' dismissal against Bangladesh. He expressed his opinion that while the law dictates that the batter should be prepared, common sense should also be considered in such situations.

“I get that the batter should be ready, and it is in the law, but if he tightens the strap of his helmet and it breaks, then where is the common sense? Where was the spirit of the game? Either you are being wronged, or if the batter is delaying on purpose, your overs are getting delayed, or the match result is being affected, there was nothing,” Misbah-Ul-Haq said on the A-Sports YouTube channel program The Pavilion.

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I would not have appealed: Shoaib Mallik

During the discussion over the bizarre dismissal controversy in the ODI World Cup 2023 game, former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik also shared his perspective on Angelo Matthews' 'timed out' incident. Malik expressed his view that if he were in Shakib's position during the game, he would not have appealed to dismiss Mathews.

“Shakib said that one of the fielders gave him the idea of being timed out. The fielder went to his captain when the strap of Matthews’s helmet snapped. Why did the fielder not do this within two minutes? Think about it. Every captain has his own views, but if I was the captain, I would not have appealed. Helmet malfunction can happen with anyone,” Malik said. 

Interestingly, the former Pakistan cricket legend and captain, Wasim Akram, also joined the discussion and mentioned that when considering the larger context of the entire game, he would not have made the same appeal. He added that his decision would be influenced by the specific circumstances and the opposing team in the match. However, another former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has backed Shakib AL Hasan’s decision in Angelo Mathews’ dismissal.