3 times players refused to shake hands after an international match ft. 2023 World Cup
The 2023 World Cup match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Delhi was one of those where the word 'gentlemen's game' came under a bit of a scanner. Controversial incidents during the game led to the players not shaking hands with each other.
In any sport, the idea is to always play hard on the field and look to win. Often after the game, the teams get together and reflect on their performances, also sharing a great camaraderie. However, certainly there have been some occasions where the opposition players ended the game on a sour note.
On that note, let's take a look at three instances where some players didn't fancy shaking hands with those in the opposition:
#3 Scotland players against Sandeep Lamichhane
The tri-series between Scotland, Nepal, and Namibia earlier this year was a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 Qualifiers. At the time, Nepal star Sandeep Lamichhane was out on bail after being arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in August last year.
While the bail meant that he was allowed to play for Nepal in the game, Scotland's stance on the whole matter was pretty clear that they were against any kind of abuse. After their game, the Scotland players had a silent protest in the form of not shaking hands with Lamichhane.
#2 Mohammad Ali and Ben Stokes
England's Bazball revolution certainly worked away from home as well, especially when they won the Test series 3-0 against Pakistan. In the second Test in Multan, England had a pretty thrilling end to the second Test in Multan as they won the game by 26 runs.
However, just towards the end, there was an infamous moment between Mohammad Ali and Ben Stokes. The England captain went towards the batter to shake hands after the game, but the latter refused to do so.
After some words were exchanged, Stokes backtracked and it was probably because Ali decided to take the review. It didn't make any difference as the batter was adjudged out.
#1 Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, 2023 World Cup
The Angelo Mathews incident sparked up the underrated fierce rivalry between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed when Mathews took a bit longer to get ready and the umpires adjudged him 'timed out'. Mathews was in disbelief as he tried to explain why he was getting his helmet changed, but Shakib didn't retract his appeal.
Even in the second innings, there were words exchanged between Najmul Hossain Shanto and Sadeera Samarawickrama. After Bangladesh won the game, Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis stormed off the field with the rest of the players as they didn't shake hands with the opposition.
The episode continues to ramble on even after the World Cup game as Mendis as well as Mathews have been vocal about how disappointed they were about Shakib and Co. not playing 'in the spirit of the game' according to them.