NEW DELHI: Shakib Al Hasan took it upon himself to add some spark to a rather insignificant World Cup here at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Monday. When he decided to appeal for a ‘timed out’ dismissal against Angelo Mathews in the 25th over of the match, he knew it was up to him to see Bangladesh home against their bitter rivals Sri Lanka.
And Shakib emerged triumphed in an ill-tempered match as his fluent 65-ball 82, along with Nazmul Hossain Shanto’s calm 101-ball 90, set up Bangladesh’s three-wicket win with nine overs to spare in the chase of 280. Mathews did hit back when he dismissed Shakib with a slower ball in the 32nd over. As Shakib walked back, the veteran Lankan allrounder sarcastically pointed at his wrist to suggest Shakib’s time was over. Eventually, it’s Sri Lanka who are running out of time to book a slot in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
It was a match that was meant to prove their relevance in world cricket. Both teams have been pushed to a corner in the World Cup. It was a situation where ego could easily take over. It may seem that it did for Shakib when he refused to withdraw his appeal against Mathews. But, in doing so, he also announced to the rest of the team that he was up for a fight as the captain of a team mired in controversy for months leading up to the World Cup. He threw a challenge for himself.
