It's Disappointing Umpires Couldn't Step In: Kusal Mendis On Angelo Mathews' Controversial Dismissal

Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Mendis has expressed his disappointment over umpire’s role in Angelo Mathews‘ controversial dismissal during the World Cup clash against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday (November 6).

Angelo Mathews was adjudged timed out for failing to be ready to face the ball in time after arriving at the crease. He walked out to bat in the 25th over and as he prepared to take guard, he found the strap of his helmet broken. The former Sri Lanka skipper removed the helmet and asked for another one from the dressing room.

The rule states that a new batsman should be ready to face the ball within two minutes. And as Mathews was waiting for his teammate to bring him a new helmet, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed for a timed out. The umpires had no option but to adjudge the allrounder out. Mathews had a heated argument with Shakib as well as the on-field umpires but it did not make much of a difference as he had to walk off.

Kusal Mendis on Angelo Mathews’ dismissal:

Speaking at the end of the game, Kusal Mendis was asked about the controversial dismissal. In reply, the Sri Lanka spinner did not shy away from expressing his disappointment and stated that there were still 5 seconds left when he realised that the strap of his helmet was broken.

“It’s very disappointing – when Angelo came to the crease, there were 5 second left. Then he found out strap of the helmet came off. It’s disappointing umpires couldn’t step in and make correct decision,” said Kusal Mendis.

Talking about the game, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets to register a much-needed win. It was only their second win of the competition and came after 6 straight defeats. Asked to bat first, Sri Lanka scored 279 runs with Charith Asalanka playing a fine knock of 108 runs. In reply, Bangladesh chased down the total inside 42 overs with Najmul Hossain Shanto (90) and Shakib (82) starring with the bat.