Time out celebration to a broken helmet: 5 best moments from Bangladesh-Sri Lanka series
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are renowned for sharing a healthy rivalry that often goes unnoticed by pundits in the cricketing world.
The two nations have shared some of the best moments on a cricket field in the past, and they keep on entertaining fans with their antics both on and off the pitch.
The recently concluded ODI series between the two countries, played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, produced a lot of such brilliant moments for spectators to cherish.
In this listicle, we bring to you the five best moments from the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka series.
#1 Broken helmet celebration
The 'broken helmet' celebration took the cake among all the moments that happened in the series.
This took place when Bangladesh were handed the winners' trophy at the end of the third ODI, and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto gathered his troops to celebrate. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim, however, walked in with his helmet and was seen fiddling with it, much to the amusement of his teammates.
It was later understood that he was mocking Angelo Mathews, who became the first player in international cricket to get timed out, due to an issue with his helmet before taking the strike in a 2023 World Cup game against Bangladesh.
#2 Time out celebration
The issue mentioned earlier, where Mushfiqur Rahim was seen mocking Angelo Mathews for his 'broken helmet' was prompted by the Lankans celebrating with an imaginary watch on their wrists when they won the T20 series.
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was not quite amused when that happened.
"There is nothing to handle aggressively when it comes to this. I think they are yet to move on from the timed out dismissal. They should move on and stay in the present since we didn’t do anything outside the rules of cricket. I think they are making a fuss of it, but we are not worried about it," he said.
Rahim, known to be a street-smart cricketer, was waiting for the right opportunity to give it back to the Lankans. He chose to do so after the Bangla Tigers claimed victory in the ODI series by winning the third game by four wickets.
#3 Janith Liyanage's heroics
One of the biggest finds for Sri Lanka in this series was all-rounder Janith Liyanage. Although they have had several like-minded players donning the role in the past, Liyanage seems to be cut from a different cloth and seems intent on nailing his spot down.
Coming to bat lower down the order, Liyanage scored 67 in the first ODI and an unbeaten 101 in the third. Unfortunately, both these games were lost by Sri Lanka, and in turn, the series too.
A more than handy medium pacer, Liyanage did not pick up any wickets this series, but promised aplenty with his variations in pace as well as yorkers.
#4 A slew of injuries in the third ODI
The third ODI of the series saw a slew of injuries take place that amazed even the most well-travelled of spectators.
Soumya Sarkar had to be substituted by Tanzid Hasan Tamim owing to a concussion he suffered while fielding. Tanzid took this opportunity in fine fashion, scoring a brilliant 84 to help Bangladesh win this game.
Another substitute Jaker Ali Anik had to be taken off after he collided with Anamul Haque Bijoy for a catch in the dying stages of the first innings. Earlier, medium pacer Mustafizur Rahman had to be taken off the field on a stretcher due to cramps. The left-arm pacer could not complete his quota of 10 overs.
#5 Umpire Richard Kettleborough being substituted
Richard Kettleborough entered the annals of cricketing history for being among the very few umpires who could not officiate an entire game.
In the third and final ODI in Chattogram on Monday, Kettleborough did not take the field after the first innings after news broke that he found the heat to be unbearable. Reserve Tanvir Ahmed had to step onto the field alongside Kettleborough's partner Sharfuddoula Saikat.
The heat was indeed oppressive in Chattogram, and one could hardly blame the Yorkshireman, hailing from the cool climes that he does.