I Felt Like I was Targeted…: Angelo Mathews Breaks Silence On Timed Out Controversy In 2023 World Cup-OxBig News Network

Sri Lankan Star Angelo Mathews made a major revelation on his infamous 2023 World Cup dismissal. Angelo was given time out during the game against Bangladesh and he has revealed that the umpires and match referee apologised to him after giving him a time-out. The right hand batter also opened up on how he felt he was blatantly targeted and was in disarray on why his Bangladesh counterparts made a bizarre appeal.

He also claimed about not crossing the two-minute mark while reaching the crease. Notably, Mathews walked with wrong headgear and needed to get a new helmet but instead was shockingly given out for his delayed entry.

“I think that was one of the times that I did speak quite a lot because I was angry and I felt disappointed. I hadn’t done anything wrong. When I showed the video to the match referee and the umpires post-game, they realised it and said sorry. But that was a very crucial game for us and I felt like I was targeted. I don’t know what prompted them to appeal,” Mathews said as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo.

“I felt that the umpires should have gotten involved a little bit more. I certainly didn’t cross the two-minute mark when I went to the crease. It was obvious that my helmet broke at the time and not before I walked into the ground. So it was a fair reason for me to get angry,” he added.

The former Sri Lanka skipper also gave his two cents on leading the team while also focusing on batting. 

“No, every single captain goes through this. I’ve lost a lot of hair during my tenure. Not many captains have a lot of hair left. Whether you’re captaining Sri Lanka or wherever, there’s always that added responsibility. Everyone is watching you, everyone is waiting to hear from you. So that sometimes can be a bit of a pain, but I enjoyed it,” he said.

Mathews has been Sri Lankan Test captain in 34 matches winning 13 of them. The Sri Lankan veteran also shared thoughts on his illustrious Test career and one of the major regrets.

“To finish third on the list of Sri Lanka’s Test run-scorers, behind two of the greatest that have ever played for Sri Lanka (Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene) – that makes me really proud. I know there is regret about 10,000, but I’m happy reaching 8000-odd. Due to injuries I couldn’t play a lot of Test cricket as well. But I’m fortunate that despite that, I was able to play 118 Tests,” he said.