Shakib on Mathews dismissal: 'Felt like I was at war, did what I had to for my team to win'

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Shakib on Mathews dismissal: 'Felt like I was at war, did what I had to for my team to win'


Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said he felt “at war” when asked about the controversial dismissal of Angelo Mathews in the World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Delhi. Mathews became the first international cricketer to be given a time-out in international cricket after a helmet malfunction.

Shakib elaborated on the incident and said that one of the Bangladesh fielders informed him that Mathews had taken time to face his first ball and that they could appeal it to the umpire.

“One of our defenders came to me and said: ‘If you appeal now, it will be eliminated, if you are serious.’ Then I appealed and the referee asked me if I was serious and if I was going to retract it or not. I said no, If it’s on the period, if it’s out, I [won’t] remove it,” Shakib said in the post-match presentation after Bangladesh won the contest by four wickets.

“It’s in the laws. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. But I felt like I was at war. I had to make decisions to make sure my team won and everything I had to do, I had to do.” “Right or wrong, there will be debates. But if it’s in the rules, I don’t mind taking those risks,” Shakib said.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, however, said the umpires should have used more common sense in the situation. “It’s very disappointing that when Angelo entered the area, he had a couple of seconds, like five seconds left to be ready. He discovered that the helmet strap had come off. It’s an equipment failure. That’s why I’m disappointed that the referees have not been able to react and add common sense,” Mendis said after the game.

“It’s unfortunate that it happened during a crucial time after the fall of a wicket. Angelo, we were hoping that he would score some runs for us, and it’s disappointing that the umpires couldn’t step in and make good decisions at that time.”

However, Shakib got excited about the incident that took place in the first innings. Chasing Sri Lanka’s 279, the all-rounder scored 82 off 65 balls and finally reached Mathews, who dismissed him.

“I thought [incident] helped [to keep me motivated]. We talked about the fight. I’m 36 years old, that fight doesn’t come all the time. But today that helped in some way, I don’t deny it,” Shakib said.