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Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar criticised Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan for his role in the 'timed out' dismissal of Angelo Mathews during the World Cup 2023 match that took place on November 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi against Sri Lanka.
Mathews became the first player to be dismissed in such a manner in international cricket. Upon Mathews' arrival at the crease, a Bangladeshi fielder informed Shakib about the MCC rule, leading Shakib to make an appeal that resulted in the batter's dismissal.
Mathews had problems with his helmet during a match, but was given out timed out before he could face a single ball. Akhtar, who has been giving his opinions on various topics related to the ongoing tournament on his YouTube channel, believes that Shakib should have been more lenient with Mathews.
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Akhtar took to X.com and wrote, "Very much against the spirit of cricket. I know it's in the rule book but since no one has ever appealed before, Shakib could have avoided this too.
Very much against the spirit of cricket. I know it's in the rule book but since no one has ever appealed before, Shakib could have avoided this too."
Later, fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock confirmed that two minutes had already passed between Mathews facing issues with his helmet and the next batter or non-striker taking their position, which is the designated time limit.
However, Mathews presented video evidence as 'proof,' asserting that the umpires had erred in their decision to declare him out.
“4th umpire is wrong here! Video evidence shows I still had 5 more seconds even after the helmet gave away! Can the 4th umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn't face the bowler without a helmet”, said Mathews .
"Proof! From the time the catch was taken and the helmet strap coming off”, he added.
Additionally, Mathews was involved in intense arguments with the Bangladesh cricketers and subsequently criticised the Tigers, describing their behaviour as 'shameful.' Mathews managed to take two wickets, dismissing Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib, but Sri Lanka ended up losing the match by three wickets.
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