The first test match between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester saw a controversial incident that according to Sri Lankan veteran Angelo Mathews changed the momentum of the game.
Sri Lanka were leading England by 24 runs in their first innings with Mathews well set on 59 runs and teammate Kamindu Mendis also contributing 33 runs. The visitors were getting a firm grip on the match when suddenly the ball was changed during the third day’s play.
Speaking to reporters after the game, the experienced Mathews expressed his displeasure at the timing of the ball change. He believes Sri Lanka were building pressure on England through maintaining reverse swing of the old ball. However, the introduction of a new ball made the conditions easier for the home team’s bowling attack.
Mathews questioned the rationale provided by the umpires for changing the ball. He said the team was informed the ball stock did not contain ones worn enough to be replaced. But the veteran batsman argued there should be set rules regarding ball changes to avoid negatively impacting either side.
While England went on to win the match, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith acknowledged it was difficult to disentangle the ball change from other factors like lights coming on that helped the hosts. There has been controversy in the past around ball tampering and timings of changing the ball during test matches.
