UNSPORTING CORRESPONDENT

Sri Lanka batter Angelo Mathews has termed it disgraceful and atrocious that the rain did not fall before New Zealand beat them in their World Cup match in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“I kept looking up at the sky and pointing to my wrist, over and over again, but the rain did not fall,” Mathews said in the post-match press conference, beside himself with righteous rage.

Teammates said Mathews had been in that state ever since the umpire upheld Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan’s appeal for timed out against Mathews a couple of days earlier, making him the first victim of the mode of dismissal in an international game.

Sri Lanka lost that match too, and their hopes of participation in the Champions Trophy 2025 – which will feature the top eight teams of the ongoing World Cup -- hinged on, first, getting past 50 with the bat, and then the forecast rain washing out the match against New Zealand. A no-result would give them one point, which would have been a point more than Bangladesh will end with after losing today’s match against Australia.

In related news, it was learnt that Bangladesh would set up seats in front of the Australia dressing room so that it takes a minimum of two minutes for outgoing batsmen to make it to the batting crease.

Back to the fuming Mathews.

“I wanted to make a timed out appeal against the rain today. But the umpire did not accept the appeal. I cannot believe the umpire would stoop so low, as low as Shakib, although the rain should have stooped much lower.

“This is totally against the spirit of cricket. It talks about playing cricket in an honest manner, but why are we not taking the weather forecasters to task for lying to us about the rain.”

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council has decided never to take any action against Mathews, no matter what he says. Meanwhile meanwhile, Mathews is expected to announce his candidacy for the US presidency.

In other news, outraged by the lack of rain in Bengaluru, Mathews’ brother Trevin was reportedly hospitalised after hurling stones directly at the sky above.