'Cricket has gone bonkers' - Cricketing world reacts to Danushka Gunathilaka getting out obstructing the field

The opening ODI between Sri Lanka and West Indies was a witness to a controversial moment. At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, Danushka Gunathilaka was given out obstructing the field. The dismissal turned out to be crucial in the context of the game as the Lankans could only post only 232 runs on the board and lost by eight wickets.

Shai Hope’s century made sure that the visiting team fell 0-1 down in the series. Gunathilaka was dismissed in the 22nd over after the Lankans opted to bat first. He was batting on 55 runs with seven fours and was playing at a handsome strike-rate of over 90. But against the run of play, the Caribbean team got his prized wicket and it turned out to be vital in the context of the match.

Kieron Pollard, the West Indies captain, bowled a slower delivery after which Gunathilaka tried to steal a single, tapping the ball on the pitch. But thereafter, the batsman seemed to have kicked the ball away from Pollard’s reach with his feet.

On an immediate basis, Pollard appealed and the decision was sent upstairs. The soft-signal from the on-field umpire was ‘Out’ and the third umpire agreed with them. Mickey Arthur, the Lankan head coach, wasn’t happy and he had a chat with the match officials.

Karunaratne speaks on Danushka Gunathilaka’s dismissal

Dimuth Karunaratne, the Lankan skipper, admitted that the visitors were well short of where they wanted to end up with. “We got a nice start but lost a few wickets, especially the run-outs, so that was crucial. We were short of 30-40 runs, and me and Danushka could have batted longer – it would’ve been a different story,” Karunaratne was quoted as saying after the game.

He also stated that Gunathilaka’s dismissal changed the course of the match to a large extent. “230 is not a good score, and they didn’t panic at all in the chase, that’s why we needed 280+. Gunathilaka got out at the wrong time and that was a key wicket triggering the collapse,” he added.

In the meantime, the netizens on Twitter didn’t miss out on the chance of opining on the controversial form of dismissal.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted: