NZ vs SL | Twitter in splits as Williamson and Boult share laughs with incoming Mathews after timed out debacle

Sri Lanka's batting collapsed like a house of cards against New Zealand in Bangalore in a crucial game for both sides with the latter hoping to seal a semi-final spot while the former contend for Champions Trophy qualification. The Lions lost five wickets in the first powerplay itself, meaning number six batter Angelo Mathews had to walk in to abt as early as the ninth over itself. Despite all the chaos that was occurring in the encounter, for a moment the spotlight was thoroughly focused on Angelo Mathews for reasons beyond the ongoing encounter.

The veteran's batting services were called upon in a similarly troublesome situation in the previous game against Bangladesh where the side had whittled down to 135/4. However, Mathews had to bizarrely depart without facing a ball on that occasion after becoming the first batter to be timed out in international cricket in the sport's 146 year history. He thus ensured there were no such lapses on Thursday, trotting onto the field with ample time to spare. As he walked past Trent Boult, the two exchanged some words before breaking into a laugh before making his way to the pitch where Kane Williamson was waiting to welcome him. The Kiwi skipper whispered something to the 35-years-old, provoking a fit of laughter from his counterpart, with Mathews presumably being teased for the previous game's antics.

Twitterati was quick to join in on the on-field laughter as they flooded social media with a host of reactions.  

Time out threat

LOL

Just making sure

Interesting

Sportsmanship

All good & fun

Wonder what Williamson said

Good

Need stump mic clip

Everyone pulling Mathews' leg