Image Credit- BCB
Najmul Hossain
Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh, has requested that Sri Lanka let go of the
World Cup 2023 timed-out issue. Shanto made his remarks following Sri Lanka’s
victory in the third Twenty20 International at Sylhet, where the visitors had
won the series 2-1. As they celebrated with the trophy, the players performed a
collective gesture that was inspired by that episode, pointing to their
watches. Players from both teams are “very friendly outside the boundary
line,” according to later comments made by Sri Lanka’s assistant coach,
Naveed Nawaz, downplaying the situation.
The first person to
utilise the pointing-at-watch gesture in question was Angelo Mathews, who
became the first player to be timed out in international cricket during the
World Cup following an appeal from Shakib Al Hasan. Later on in that same World
Cup match, Mathews pulled Shakib from the game. Shakib’s decision to file an
appeal was harshly attacked by Mathews following the game.
In the opening Twenty20 International of this series on March 3, Shoriful Islam
revived the gesture when he claimed Sri Lanka’s first wicket.
Towhid Hridoy was
dismissed today by Nuwan Thushara for a peach, leaving Bangladesh at 15 for 3.
As he was leaving, someone in the Sri Lankan huddle shouted something to him
that sparked an argument. This led to the fielders in Sri Lanka taking aim at
Hridoy. Umpire Tanvir Islam had to haul Hridoy away, in a spectacle that has
become increasingly typical at Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka games as a fierce
rivalry has grown.
Asked if he would like to tone down the rivalry from his end, Shanto said:
“It is not about aggressive handling or anything like that. They showed
the timed-out gesture, right? They haven’t moved on from the timed-out
incident.
“I think they should get out of it. They should stay in the present. We
were within the rules [with the timed out dismissal]. They are in a frenzy
about it. I am not too worried about it.”