Binura Fernando barges right into Dawid Malan Picture Credit: Sky Sports
The third T20I between England and Sri Lanka witnessed a lot of action and drama in the first innings. After England got off to a flying start with a 105-run opening stand, a batting collapse from 143/1 to 162/6 got the visitors back into the game as Eoin Morgan's side finished at a total of 180/6 in 20 overs.
While there was a lot of quality cricket played during the innings, it seems like the EURO 2020 fever is high on the minds of cricket players these days. After Sam Curran had pulled off a heroic run out with his football skills in the previous match, it was slightly different case on Saturday as the fans got a chance to see a football-esque tackle at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
Red card for Fernando?
The incident happened during the second over of England's innings being bowled by Binura Fernando. The left-arm pacer bowled a good length delivery which was defended by Jonny Bairstow on the back foot as Dawid Malan called for a quick run. Citing an opportunity to run Malan out, Fernando also ran towards the ball. With his eyes on the ball, Fernando barged the England opener out of his way with a proper shoulder push (a kind of tackle often used in football).
Watch the video here:
With both the players down on the ground, it was a rare sight for the fans and the commentators. The replays showed that it was a very nasty collision between the two players. Fortunately, there wasn't any harm done to both Malan and Fernando as they carried on playing after that. Considering the punishment in football for rash tackles, netizens sarcastically said that umpire should have given a red card to Fernando.
