Sakib Al Hasan believes that cricket is no less than a battle in any aspect, and the recent incident of “time-out” in cricket has added to that perception. The context of the battle emerged due to the rule of “time-out.” While the rule existed, it had never been applied in the 146-year history of international cricket until now. Angelo Mathews found himself at the receiving end of being timed out as the first batter. He was taking his time to get ready to face the next ball after entering the field. After that, Shakib filed an appeal with the umpire, although no ball was bowled.
At the end of the match, Shakib provided a detailed account of the entire incident. He said, “One of our fielders came to me and said that if I appeal, Mathews will be out. So, I appealed, and the umpire asked me if I was serious or not. It is part of the rules, and whether it’s right or wrong, I don’t know, but I felt like I was in a battle, so I did what I had to do. There will be controversies, but if it’s in the rules, I won’t shy away from taking that opportunity.”
Following Shakib’s appeal, Mathews expressed his frustration openly. Later, when he came to bowl, he removed Shakib’s wicket. He showed the time on his watch as a gesture of triumph but also with a touch of sarcasm. However, by that time, Shakib had played a fantastic innings, scoring 82 runs off 65 balls.
Shakib stated, “I am 36 years old now, and the battle is not easy, but I am happy that it happened today.”
This incident reflects the competitive nature of cricket and how players are willing to use any opportunity within the rules to gain an advantage in the game.
