In a rather peculiar incident during the second Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Chattogram, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s decision to review an lbw appeal against Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis left fans bewildered.
After being asked to field first on Day One, Bangladesh was hoping for a breakthrough when left-arm spinner Taijul Islam bowled to Mendis in the 44th over shortly before Tea. The ball, however, struck the middle of Mendis’ bat, sending it comfortably towards the cover fielder.
Despite the clear sound of bat hitting ball and no visible deviation towards the pads, skipper Shanto opted to review the decision, much to the confusion of his teammates and fans. The replays confirmed that the ball was nowhere near the pads and had indeed hit the middle of Mendis’ bat.
Mendis, who was batting on 93 at the time, along with Dimuth Karunaratne, who had scored 86, had propelled Sri Lanka to a strong position after a solid opening partnership. Although both batsmen missed out on centuries, Sri Lanka managed to end the day in a commanding position, closing in on 300 runs.
Shanto, who took over the captaincy across formats for Bangladesh last month, is leading the team in his second Test match. Sri Lanka had previously defeated Bangladesh by 328 runs in Shanto’s Test captaincy debut in Sylhet.
The incident highlighted the need for players to use the Decision Review System (DRS) judiciously, especially when there is clear evidence to suggest that the original decision was correct.
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