Bangladesh show nerves of steel to defeat Sri Lanka for first time in World Cup

Sri Lanka batsman Angelo Mathews became the first player to be given timed out in the 146year history of international cricket on Monday in a feisty ICC World Cup 2023 league stage clash won by BangladeshChasing 280 for victory Bangladesh rode on a 169run stand between Najmul Hasan Shanto 90 and skipper Shakib Al Hasan 82 to reach their target with three wickets and 53 balls to spareThe result sealed Sri Lankas exit from the semifinal race but Mathews dismissal overshadowed the result after he was adjudged timed out for taking longer than the regulation two minutes to take strike when he arrived at the crease to bat The dismissal contributed to a tense atmosphere Shanto and Sri Lankas Sadeera Samarawickrama were involved in a verbal exchange and had to be separated by the umpires Later Sri Lankan players surrounded the umpires demanding a ball change as the game got away from them Mathews had come into bat after the fall of Samarawickrama in the 25th over but was unable to secure his helmet strap tightly enough an action which delayed the resumption of play As a result Shakib appealed for the wicket Onfield 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 decision Shakib was later voted man of the match Mathews dismissal was not good for the spirit of cricket said Sri Lanka centurymaker Charith Asalanka Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn writing on X formerly Twitter said Well that wasnt cool ExIndia batsman Gautam Gambhir described the episode as absolutely patheticAlso ReadThe real King in our midstAccording 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 minutes The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians said there have been six instances of timed out in firstclass cricket There have been no instances recorded in List A or Twenty20 cricket until Mathews they wrote on X formerly known as Twitter The vastlyexperienced Mathews was playing in his 225th oneday international on Monday in a career which has yielded 5900 runs and 122 wickets He has also played 106 Tests and 78 Twenty20 internationals When Bangladesh batted Mathews took on Shakib with the ball and got the lefthander to play a loose shot into the air only for Asalanka who hit 108 in Sri Lankas 279 all out to drop the catch Shakib and Shanto took on the bowlers in a 169run thirdwicket partnership before Mathews broke through with his mediumpace and sent back Shakib He pointed to his wrist as a sendoff Mathews also dismissed Shanto to trigger a collapse as Bangladesh lost three more wickets before they reached their target Earlier the lefthanded Asalanka hit his second ODI ton to rebuild the Sri Lanka innings after they had slipped to 1355 following the exit of Mathews The match had been given the green light despite smogchoked New Delhi being ranked as the planets most polluted major cityWith agency inputs