"They realised it and said sorry" - Angelo Mathews makes big claim on timed out controversy in 2023 World Cup

Sri Lankan batting mainstay Angelo Mathews has said that the umpires and the match referee had apologised to him after he was given a time-out. The incident took place in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in New Delhi. The 38-year-old said that he had felt targeted and could not understand why Bangladesh had appealed.

He added that he had not crossed the two-minute mark when he went to the crease to bat in the Sri Lankan innings. Mathews was given a timeout after he had delayed his entry to the crease as he needed to get a new helmet after walking out with the wrong headgear.

Mathews told ESPN Cricinfo:

"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."

"I felt that the umpires should have got 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."

Angelo Mathews led Sri Lanka in 34 Test matches between 2013 and 2017, winning 13. While revealing that he enjoyed the responsibility of captaining and playing as a batter, he admitted that he had lost a lot of hair with the dual roles.

"No, every single captain goes through this. I've lost a lot of hair during the 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.

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Angelo Mathews says he is proud to finish third on the list of highest run-scorers for Sri Lanka in Tests

Angelo Mathews made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against Pakistan at Galle in 2009. The 38-year-old said that he was proud to feature third on the list of batters for most runs made by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket.

In 118 Tests, Angelo Mathews has made 8167 runs at an average of 44.62 with 16 hundreds and 45 fifties.

"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.

Angelo Mathews will play his 119th and final Test match when Sri Lanka play Bangladesh in the first Test, starting in Galle on Tuesday, June 17.