5 instances when captains told their players to walk off the field ft. Rishabh Pant, Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan's Bangladesh will lock horns with Sri Lanka in a virtual Asia Cup 2022 fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, September 1.
The rivalry between the two cricketing nations has made the upcoming clash a highly anticipated affair. The Sri Lanka-Bangladesh encounters have often been a riveting affair, and the upcoming fixture is expected to be no different.
Things heated up when the teams squared off at the Nidhas Trophy in 2018, with Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan almost forfeiting the match over an umpiring decision in the final over of the thrilling clash.
Notably, Shakib isn't the only captain to have asked his players to walk off the field during an international match.
Here, we take a look at five such instances of skippers resorting to calling their players back to the pavilion in the middle of a game.
#1 Shakib Al Hasan (2018)
Bangladesh took on Sri Lanka in a virtual semi-final of the Nidhas Trophy in 2018. The game had several heated exchanges between the two sets of players, with things escalating even more during the last over.
The equation came down to Bangladesh needing 12 runs off six balls. Mustafizur Rahman, who was at the crease, faced two bouncers off Isuru Udana's bowling and was run-out in the second short-pitched delivery.
Several Bangladesh players lost their cool, contesting it should have been called a no ball for height. Bangladesh captain Shakib was seen furiously arguing with an official on the sidelines.
Shakib even signaled to his batters to walk back to the pavilion. However, better sense prevailed and the match resumed after a brief halt.
Here is a video of Shakib arguing with the official:
Bangladesh eventually won the game in thrilling fashion and qualified for the final. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shakib admitted that emotions got the better of him during the match.
#2 Arjuna Ranatunga (1999)
Sri Lankan spinner Muthiah Muralidaran's bowling action came under the scanner on several occasions during his career. One such incident took place in an ODI fixture against England at the Adelaide Oval in 1999.
Australian umpire Ross Emerson wasn't convinced by the off-spinner's bowling action and proceeded to no-ball Muralidaran. Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga was miffed by the call, threatening to walk off the field with the entire team.
The play had to be stopped for 12 minutes due to the drama. The Sri Lankan players eventually returned to the field after a conversation with officials in Colombo.
Ranatunga did bring Muralidaran back into the attack during the game, but this time from the other end to to save him from Emerson.
#3 Bishan Singh Bedi (1978)
The ODI series decider between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at Sahiwal in 1978 ended up being a highly controversial one. With 23 runs required off the final three overs, India appeared to be the firm favorites to clinch the game.
Pakistani pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz kept bowling bouncers at that stage. Most of the deliveries were clearly wide, as they went well over the batter's head. However, the on-field umpires treated those as fair deliveries.
This infuriated Indian skipper Bishan Singh Bedi, who ultimately asked his batters to walk back. It is worth mentioning that this was the first instance where a captain conceded an ODI to the opponent.
Remember Bishan Bedi calling off his batsmen against Pakistan in the Sahiwal ODI in 1978 when Sarfraz Nawaz was allowed to bowl bouncers at the Indian batsmen without any warning from the umpires. India conceded the ODI game.
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#4 Sunil Gavaskar (1981)
Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar asked his batting partner Chetan Chauhan to walk off the field with him during the team's second innings of a Test match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Gavaskar was given out lbw by umprie Rex Whitefield despite a thick outside edge. The batter stood his ground, signaling to the official that the ball had hit his bat first.
However, the decision wasn't reversed. After a long wait, Gavaskar decided to walk off the field with Chauhan, who was nearing his maiden Test century.
The two were stopped by India's team manager Shahid Durrani on the boundary ropes and Chauhan was asked to return to the crease with new batter Dilip Vengsarkar joining him.
#5 Rishabh Pant (IPL 2022)
Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Rishabh Pant was miffed over a no-ball call during his team's league match against Rajastjan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Delhi needed to chase down 24 runs off the last over. Rajasthan pacer Obed McCoy bowled a high-full toss that went for six. Pant believed that it should have been called a no-ball.
When on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Nikhil Patwardhan adjuged it as a fair delivery, a furious Pant was seen signaling batters Rovman Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to walk off.
DC assistant coach Pravin Amre was sent in to have a word with the officials. However, the call was not overturned.