'Shakib is not welcome in Sri Lanka' - Angelo Mathews' brother gives stern warning to Bangladesh skipper

The Sri Lanka versus Bangladesh clash in the ODI World Cup 2023 turned out to be a feisty contest. There has been some animosity between these two teams in recent times, and during their clash in Delhi on Monday, things went from bad to worse when Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan refused to withdraw an appeal for a timed out as Angelo Mathews had to take the long walk back without facing a ball.

Trevin Mathews, who is Angelo's brother, warned Shakib that Sri Lankan fans might throw stones at him if he dares to come to play in the island nation.

"We are very disappointed. The Bangladeshi captain has no sportsman spirit and did not show humanity in the gentleman’s game. Shakib is not welcome in Sri Lanka. If he comes here to play any international or the LPL matches, stones will be thrown at him, or he will have to face the annoyance of fans", Trevin told Deccan Chronicle. 

The controversial incident happened in the 25th over of Sri Lanka's innings. Mathews walked out to the middle at the fall of Sadeera Samarawickrama's wicket. The former Sri Lankan captain found out that the strap of his helmet was broken. He called for a new helmet, but before he could take guard, the on-field umpires gave him the message that he was timed out. Mathews walked up to Shakib, probably to request him to withdraw the appeal, but the experienced all-rounder didn't oblige.

This sparked a massive debate on social media. Experts like Michael Atherton and Matthew Hayden lambasted Shakib. Bangladesh's bowling coach Allan Donald also said after the match that he wasn't supportive of what transpired at the moment on the ground.

Bangladesh went on to win the game by three wickets, chasing down the 280-run target in the 42nd over. Ironically, Shakib was named Player of the Match for his all-round show as he picked up two wickets and scored a scintillating 82 off 65 balls. Sri Lankan fans will feel that the battle might have been lost, but the war is far from over.