Angelo Mathews likely will never forget that moment.
On the World Cup stage, in a match where both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had no option but to win to qualify for the Champions Trophy, his team was in trouble while batting — and it was then that Mathews became the first player in history to be given out timed out.
In the 2023 World Cup match, after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed for the timed out dismissal against Mathews, the decision was never reversed. Without facing a single ball, Mathews had to return to the dressing room. Whatever anger or resentment he felt toward Bangladesh over that incident, it surely wasn’t something that faded quickly from his mind.
Now, Mathews is about to retire after playing his final Test — ironically against Bangladesh. The upcoming Test in Galle, starting tomorrow, will be his last in this format. At a press conference today, wearing his Test jersey for the last time, the topic naturally came up.
“I was angry and frustrated then. I did nothing wrong. After the match, when I showed the video to the match referee and umpires, they realized their mistake and apologized,” said Angelo Mathews.
Mathews added that he no longer holds any grudges. “It was a very unfortunate incident. They are my friends, and personally, I have nothing against them. They have always treated us well. There were some exchanges at that time, but I don’t hold on to anger. Anger is a bad word for cricket.”
Though now he has moved on, the incident clearly troubled Mathews for a long time. In a recent interview with Cricinfo, he revealed that the umpires later expressed regret once they understood their error.
Mathews said, “I was angry and disappointed then. I hadn’t done anything wrong. After the match, when I showed the video to the match referee and umpires, they understood their mistake and apologized. That match was very important for us. I felt they made me a target. I don’t know what pushed them to appeal then. I think the umpires should have been more involved in the situation. When I came to the crease, it hadn’t even been two minutes. My helmet was broken — it hadn’t happened before I came out. So, my anger was justified.”
Today, Mathews chooses to remember only the good times with Bangladesh. He recalled winning the 2014 T20 World Cup in Dhaka with Sri Lanka, and playing regularly in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier League.
“I’ve played a lot in Bangladesh — not just international cricket, but domestic cricket too. I really enjoyed it back then. They are all good friends of mine,” he said at the press conference.
