Angelo Mathews has refuted the fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock’s claims that the batter, who was ‘Timed out’ against Bangladesh, was not ready to face his first delivery within two minutes of walking in before his helmet broke, saying the team has video evidence of him being ready in time.
He then posted a still image proving there were five seconds left on the timer before he was ejected.
Matthews became the first batsman in international cricket to take a ‘time-out’ as he sought a replacement for a broken helmet before picking up the first ball in a 2023 World Cup match. Matthews came to bat after the wicket of Sadheera Samarawickrama in the 25th over, but he was ruled out for not being ready to bat within the stipulated two minutes.
Fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock later said that the time limit had already passed before he took off his helmet and that by then Matthews was not ready for the first ball. However, the all-rounder vehemently denied the comments and said there was evidence that he would be ready to bat with five seconds left until the belt expires.
“The rules clearly say that when I woke up today, I was there within two minutes. We have video evidence. We will make a statement later. We have video evidence and footage. Everything is being investigated. I don’t just come here and say something. I speak with proof.
“So we have video evidence that shows there were five seconds left from the time he was caught until his helmet broke and he went into the crease. So we’re talking about player safety. Vigilant without a helmet. Can you tell me if it’s the right thing to do? It’s just common sense.”
When asked specifically about the fourth official’s comments, Matthews said that if Holdstock were asked if he would be ready in time before the two minutes were up, he would now give a different answer. Ta. “If you ask me a question now, he’ll give you a different answer because I have the evidence, the video evidence. Like I said, I’m not just going to say what I want to say. I’m going to give you the video evidence. I have it, so if anyone wants to object, I encourage them to do so.”
Mr Matthews stated in his response to the ICC:
Proof! From the time catch was taken and the time helmet strap coming off pic.twitter.com/2I5ebIqkGZ
– Angelo Matthews (@Angelo69Mathews) 6. November 2023
Although the match ended in a narrow victory for Bangladesh, the match remained controversial as Sri Lankan players refused to shake hands with their rivals. Matthews said the team respects those who respect them.
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