Five incidents that tested the limits of the 'spirit of cricket'

Angelo Mathews' timed-out dismissal in the ICC World Cup 2023 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has sparked intrigue in the cricketing world. It prompts reflection on previous incidents that have raised questions about the spirit of cricket.

International cricket’s first ‘timed out’

• In a recent addition to the list of peculiar incidents in cricket, Sri Lanka's experienced cricketer, Angelo Mathews, was dismissed from the field at the start of Sri Lanka's World Cup match against Bangladesh, without even getting the chance to face a delivery. 

• Upon an appeal to the umpire by Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hassn, Mathews was dismissed due to a "timed out" rule violation in cricket, caused by a helmet issue that caused a delay in him taking the crease. 

  A lot of fans, pundits, and even Angelo Mathews himself have raised a strong question on Bangladesh’s “Spirit of cricket” after their call for a timed out dismissal.

Events that hurt the Spirit of cricket

Angleo Mathews’ case wasn’t the first instance when the cricket world pondered upon the notion of “spirit of cricket”. There have been numerous instances that have often brought up questions about sportsmanship and ethics in cricket.

Chappell Underarm ball (1981)

• In 1981, the third best-of-five ODI match between Australia and New Zealand gave us one of the most controversial events in cricket history. 
• Australia's captain, Greg Chappell, told his brother Trevor, the bowler, to roll the ball along the ground in the final delivery to prevent New Zealand from tying the game with a six. 

• This move was considered unsportsmanlike, even though it was legal at the time.
• The incident led to changes in cricket rules to avoid such actions in the future.

Rain-rule (1992)

• The 1992 World Cup is famous for the controversial "rain rule."
• In the second semi-final between South Africa and England, a 10-minute rain delay led to a drastic change in South Africa's target. 
• They went from needing 22 runs off 13 balls to an impossible 22 runs off one ball, which cost them the match.

Dirt in Michael Atherton’s pocket (1995)

• In 1995, South Africa made their comeback at Lord's after serving a 22-year ban from international cricket. 
• However, England's captain, Michael Atherton, faced controversy when he was seen on camera tampering with the ball. 
• Atherton denied any wrongdoing but was fined for his actions, leaving a bad impression on many.
   

Darrell Hair’s no ball call against Muralitharan (1995)

• In the 1995 Boxing Day Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia, umpire Darrell Hair caused a stir by calling seven no-balls on Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in just three overs. 

• Hair thought Muralitharan was throwing the ball, which got Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga so mad that he took his team off the field for a bit. 
• This wasn't the last time Muralitharan faced this issue, but later tests by the ICC proved that his arm bend was within the legal limit of 15 degrees.

Sehwag-Randiv wide ball (2010)

• During the 2010 Sri Lanka tri-series ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Dambulla Indian spinners dismissed Sri Lanka for 170. During the chase, Indian batter Virender Sehwag led India to a comfortable victory but not without a touch of controversy from the Sri Lankan side. 

• In the 35th over, they needed five runs to win, with Sehwag only requiring one run to reach his century. In a dramatic turn, Randiv's first delivery skidded low, eluding both the batsman and keeper Kumar Sangakkara, resulting in four byes. 
   

• Sehwag struggled with the next two balls but then made a bold move on the fourth delivery, smashing it for a six.
• Without Sehwag's knowledge, the umpire had already indicated a front-foot no-ball, which resulted in the winning run and left Sehwag at 99 not out.

Butler mankading by Sri Lanka (2014)

• In light of the recent Angelo Mathews controversy, some netizens highlighted the time when the Sri Lankan team led by Mathews for a Mankading incident involving Jos Buttler in a 2014 ODI match.
• During that game, Sri Lankan spinner Sachithra Senanayake executed a rare 'Mankading' in international cricket. 
• Buttler, positioned at the non-striker's end, had strayed too far from the crease. Senanayake had previously issued a clear warning to Buttler, indicating that he would dislodge the bails and dismiss him if he ventured out of the crease.

Australia Sandpaper incident (2018)

• In March 2018, during a Test match in Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the cricket ball to make it swing.
• This led to sanctions for him, Captain Steve Smith, and Vice-Captain David Warner from Cricket Australia. 
• Coach Darren Lehmann resigned due to the scandal. Tim Paine even took over as captain, followed by Aaron Finch in ODIs and T20Is after Paine