A rather amusing incident unfolded during the second and final Test of the series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Sunday. A bizarre Decision Review System (DRS) call from the Bangladesh skipper, Najmul Hossain Shanto, left the commentators and fans stunned as the hosts eyed the dismissal of Kusal Mendis.
The incident occurred during the 44th over when Sri Lanka's Mendis faced a delivery from Bangladesh bowler Taijul Islam. Mendis confidently defended the ball, but Najmul Hossain Shanto, stationed at the other end, believed otherwise and opted for a review, suspecting a potential leg before wicket (LBW) dismissal.
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To the disbelief of everyone involved, replays revealed that the ball had cleanly struck the middle of Mendis's bat, rendering the review one of the most erroneous DRS calls in recent memory. The blunder sparked astonishment and sparked discussions among fans and pundits alike.
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{{/usCountry}}This isn't the first time when Bangladesh took such a review. Back in 2016, during a Test match against India, they made a similarly bizarre review decision against then-captain Virat Kohli. Despite Kohli's innocuous defensive shot against Taijul Islam, the Bangladesh team unanimously appealed, surprising commentators and viewers alike.
Mushfiqur Rahim signalled for the review, but replays unmistakably showed that the ball had struck the middle of Kohli's bat, near the sticker, rendering the review futile.
Sri Lanka eventually ended the first day on 314/4; Mendis fell only seven runs short of his century, as Shakib Al Hasan dismissed him on 93 off 150 balls. Sri Lanka's senior opening batter, Dimuth Karunaratne, also missed his century, scoring 86 off 129 balls.
At Stumps, Dinesh Chandimal (34*) remained unbeaten alongside captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who had scored 15 off 27 deliveries.
Sri Lanka eye series win
Earlier in the match, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat first in hopes of securing a series-clinching victory. The first Test saw a poor batting performance from the hosts as they failed to cross 200 across both innings; for Sri Lanka, captain De Silva and Kamindu Mendis smashed centuries in the first innings, rescuing the side after a batting collapse to take them to 280. In the second innings, the duo smashed centuries again, setting Bangldesh a daunting target of 511.
The side eventually registered a thumping 328-run win in Sylhet, taking an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. The visitors had clinched the T20I series 2-1 over Bangladesh but faced an ODI series loss with the same scoreline.