In the recent cricket match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, there was controversy surrounding the dismissal of Bangladesh’s player Shakib Al Hasan. After being given out, Shakib showed frustration and raised concerns about the decision. Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankan team’s captain, also pointed out a potential error in the equipment used by the umpires.
Mathews mentioned in a post-match press conference that the umpires, Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth, admitted that there was a technical glitch with the equipment. They could not check whether the time allocated in cricket laws for a batsman to be ready for the next ball had expired. According to cricket playing conditions, if there is an issue with the helmet or other equipment, no additional time is allowed, and the new batsman must be ready within two minutes of the previous batsman’s dismissal.
In the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Bangladesh requested more time than what was allowed by the laws for Mathews to be given out. According to the rules, Mathews was technically out. However, he claimed that there were still five seconds left for him to be ready and that he had shown his helmet to the umpires as evidence. He also mentioned the availability of video evidence to support his claim.
After Sri Lanka’s innings, the fourth umpire, Adrian Holdstock, informed that Mathews had crossed the two-minute threshold before the issue with his helmet came to light. Mathews, on the other hand, insisted that he had more time left and questioned the decision. He raised concerns about the precision of the technology used to measure the time.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Al-Rawat believes that it was essential for the umpires to review the entire situation using technology. He said, “The umpires told our coach that they should have thoroughly reviewed the entire situation with technology. The incident occurred, and it was not appropriate to take action afterward. The technology could have been used to determine the time difference correctly, and the umpires could have easily confirmed that.”
This incident raises questions about the accuracy and effectiveness of the technology used in cricket to make crucial decisions and whether it was applied correctly in this particular case.
