Sri Lanka and Bangladesh faced each other in match 15 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bowl first, but things got ugly when a heated exchange took between Sri Lankan bowler Lahiru Kumara and Bangladesh opener Liton Das.
It all happened during the sixth over when Das stepped down the track and moved leg-side to attempt a big hit over mid-off. However, the shot was mistimed and Shanaka, who was at the edge of the circle, took an overhead catch to see off Das.
But soon after dismissing the Bangladesh batsman, Kumara went upto him and the two players were spotted having a heated argument. Things got ugly on the pitch as the bowler and batter came face-to-face, with Sri Lankan players pulling Kumara away from Das.
“Well, well, well – I don’t think I’ve seen that. That’s not a good look for the game of cricket,” said broadcaster Mark Nicholas in the commentary.
“I’d like to say that it was handbags, but I don’t know that it was. It was quite unpleasant,” he added.
Here is the video:
Feel the heat of #ICCT20WorldCup2021 some harsh words exchanged between Liton Das & Lahiru Kumara after Das was caught at mid-off in #SlvsBan. Upcoming #PakvsIndia pic.twitter.com/eUbVfm5q3Z
— Haroon Janjua (@JanjuaHaroon) October 24, 2021
The heated moment, however, didn’t affect Bangladesh’s run-flow as the Tigers went on to post 171/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Mohammad Naim and middle-order batter Mushfiqur Rahim shined with the bat to help Bangladesh reach a respectable total.
Rahim stayed unbeaten on 57 off 37 balls, while Naim chipped in with valuable 52 from 62 deliveries.
In reply, Sri Lanka chased down the target in 18.5 overs with five wickets in hand. Charith Asalanka shined with the bat and took his team over the line. The left-handed batsman played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 80 runs off 49 deliveries. He was well supported by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who hit 53 off 31 balls.
