Bangladesh cricketers teased Sri Lanka after clinching a 2-1 ODI series triumph today, with Mushfiqur Rahim spearheading the celebrations that reignited the 'timed-out' dispute between the two sides.
In the pivotal match of the series in Chattogram, played under scorching daytime conditions, Bangladesh surged to a comfortable victory. Following Sri Lanka's dismissal for 235, Mushfiqur struck the winning runs in the 41st over, with Tanzid Hasan leading the scoring with 84 runs.
After the trophy presentation, the Bangladesh players assembled for a team photograph behind a 'series winners' board. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto placed the trophy in front of the board and gestured for a waiting Mushfiqur to join the shot.
Mushfiqur stepped forward with his helmet in front of the board and displayed it to his teammates, who chuckled and applauded before he removed it. The celebration refers to the timed-out incident during the 2023 World Cup, where Angelo Mathews became the first player in international cricket to be dismissed in this manner during a league-stage game against Bangladesh.
Mathews ran out of time to commence his innings after encountering an issue with his helmet before taking strike.
WATCH HERE:
The incident has remained a subject of controversy between the two sides ever since. In the first T20I of the series preceding the ODI leg of the tour, Shoriful Islam gestured towards an imaginary watch on his wrist upon dismissing Avishka Fernando. After Sri Lanka claimed victory in the T20I series, the entire team celebrated during their team photo with the same gesture towards imaginary watches on their wrists.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had remarked that Sri Lanka had not yet moved past the incident.
“They showed the timed-out gesture, right? They haven’t moved on from the timed-out incident,” he said. “I think they should get out of it. They should stay in the present. We were within the rules [with the timed out dismissal]. They are in a frenzy about it. I am not too worried about it.”
Apart from the timed-out celebration, a rivalry exists between the two sides which has led to a string of acrimonious encounters over the years. The sides will face each other again in a two-Test match series which begins later this week.