Umpire unhappy - (Source: X.com)
On Sunday, February 22, Sri Lanka and England locked horns against each other at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy. The hosts won the toss and opted to field first. As expected, England got off to the worst possible start and lost Jos Buttler early on. Eyes were on RCB star Jacob Bethell, who has saved England on several occasions in this tournament.
Much to everyone's dismay, Bethell too failed to shine on an important day and returned to the dugout after a failed no-look shot. On the 1st ball of the sixth over, Maheesh Theekshana got rid of the southpaw, who mistimed a no-look shot and handed a catch to Madushanka.
Umpire Scolds Sri Lanka Player After Bethell's Dismissal
Right after the wicket, Theekshana pulled out his signature 'Bow and Arrow' celebration and the rest of the squad too joined him for the celebrations. However, the on-field official was unhappy with something and joined Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka for a quick chat.
A clip has gone viral on social media where the umpire pointed fingers at Shanaka in anger and briefed him about something. Notably, the exact reason behind the anger is unknown, but it is likely that the official was unhappy that the Sri Lanka team celebrated without him declaring the batter out.
Watch the video below:
Dasun Shanaka Stands In His 125th T20I For Sri Lanka
It has been an unfortunate event because it ruined Shanaka's special day. The 34-year-old is standing in his 125th T20I appearance, which was celebrated before the start of the match against England.
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Sri Lanka cricket posted a tweet where the management presented Shanaka with a special jersey. Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya too congratulated the captain, who is also the most capped player for his nation in the shortest format of the game. The best most capped player in Mendis, who has just 105 T20I appearances, reflecting how important Shanaka is for the team.
Talking about Shanaka's stats, the star all-rounder has 1803 runs and 44 wickets for his nation, making him a legend of the game.
Sri Lanka Fears ICC Sanction
Now, reflecting back to the incident that occurred on-field, Sri Lanka fear some sanctions coming their way from the ICC. Notably, the players could be handed a match fee fine and demerit points for the incident with the umpire.
So far, Mohammed Nabi has been issued a fine for his behaviour against South Africa in this tournament. Similarly, George Munsey too faced ICC's action. Now, coming back to the ongoing match, despite the issue with umpire, Shanaka is unfazed by it and is focused on leading Sri Lanka.
Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, England are reduced to 94/5 and Shanaka has not even introduced himself to the attack.
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