WATCH: Bangladesh players give guard of honour to retiring Angelo Mathews

GALLE: Retiring Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews on Thursday, received a guard of honour from Bangladesh players and match officials as he walked out to bat in the first innings of his farewell Test, underway here at the Galle International Stadium.

The moment of camaraderie between the two traditional rivals occurred during the 52nd over of Sri Lanka’s first innings when Mathews walked out to bat at number four, following the dismissal of Dinesh Chandimal.

The 38-year-old looked visibly moved by Bangladesh’s gesture and acknowledged it by raising his hand towards the opposing players.

As soon as Mathews walked past the Bangladesh players on his way to the crease, they dispersed and went to their respective fielding positions.

Bangladesh’s gesture was significant, considering their bitter rivalry with Bangladesh over the years, the highlight of which was when Mathews was timed out during their faceoff at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

Mathews was ready to take strike when the strap of his helmet broke. The former Sri Lanka captain called for a new helmet and while that wait ensued, Shakib appealed with the umpires consequently ruling the batter timed out.

Notably, when a batter is dismissed, the newcomer should be ready to face a ball within two minutes of the fall of a wicket but Mathews was not.

Following the incident, Angelo Mathews called for "justice" from the ICC and claimed that Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was "a cheat" on his social media.

"Video evidence shows I still had five more seconds even after the helmet gave away!" he wrote. "Can the fourth umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn't face the bowler without a helmet.

"This is clear cheating, I want justice," he added in another post.