England registered a clinical win 5-wicket win against Sri Lanka to go 1-0 up in the 3-match series. However, the ball-change controversy has taken centre stage with Angelo Mathews criticizing it and calling it ‘unfair’.
Sri Lanka had a slender 24-run lead at 4-146 when the ball was changed raising eyebrows. Mathews was well-set on 59, with Kamindu Mendis supporting him on 33. The change, authorized by umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, led to a significant momentum shift as a firmer ball brought England’s fast bowlers back into contention.
Chris Woakes dismissed Mathews in the 10th over, ending a gritty 78-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Once Mathews walked back, the momentum shifted in England’s favour. Speaking to Test Match Special before the start of the fourth day’s play, Mathews asserted that his team was in a strong position before the ball change.
“It looked like they were running out of plans but unfortunately the ball was changed,” Mathews told Sky Sports before the start of the fourth day’s play.
“I think it could be unfair for batters on both teams because the batters want to get rid of the hard, shiny ball, and once we got to the 48-over mark, I think we were quite comfortably playing them.
“Once the ball was changed, I think it changed the entire momentum of the game. It started swinging both ways, it started nipping back in, so it was really difficult. The batters are waiting to get rid of the hardness of the ball, and, unfortunately, the ball was changed and it started swinging and it changed the whole complexion of the game,” he added.
This wasn’t the first time when England’s ball management came under the scanner. Last year during the Ashes series, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting demanded investigations into similar occurrences.
“I just cannot fathom how two international umpires that have done that a lot of times can actually get that so wrong,” Ponting had said.
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