‘A breach of the code of conduct’ – Allan Donald criticised for condemning Matthews’ timed-out dismissal

Matthews became the first player in international cricket to be dismissed timed-out. The incident unfolded when he arrived at the crease after Sadeera Samarawickrama got out. Before taking his guard, the all-rounder found his helmet strap snapped, and he immediately signalled at the dugout for an equipment swap.

While the substitute ran out with a replacement, Shakib appealed for a timed-out dismissal to the umpires. Matthews’ own protests were in vain, as the umpires adjudged him out for delaying to take his guard. He remained frustrated at the decision while walking back to the pavilion and threw his helmet in anger.

The event divided the cricketing public into two factions – one that advocated for the abidance of the laws and another which lambasted Shakib for violating the “spirit of cricket”. In an interview with CricBlog.net, Donald sided with the second section of people, terming the dismissal as “disappointing”.

The BCB were not happy with Donald’s public remarks against the team’s decision and blamed him for violating team protocols.

A BCB official told ESPNcricinfo: “He could have given his personal views at a later time. He is part of the team management so when the team takes a decision, speaking about it publicly is a breach of the code of conduct. He could have spoken about it within the team or he could have spoken directly to the player. He could have informed the BCB, but not in public.”

However, the body will likely refrain from punishing Donald since his coaching stint will end soon after the World Cup. Donald, who brought a pace-bowling revolution in the country after his appointment before Bangladesh toured South Africa in 2022, has chosen not to renew his contract.