The spotlight of the cricket world is on the India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup in Dubai which takes place on Sunday evening. Across the emirate in Sharjah, another - newer - rivalry in cricket unfolded earlier in the day, and it did not make for good viewing.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have developed a particularly feisty rivalry over the last few years. On Sunday, things boiled over pretty much at the start of the match.
In the sixth over, Sri Lanka fast bowler Lahiru Kumara dismissed Bangladesh batsman Liton Das. As the batsman was leaving, some heated words were exchanged between the two. The situation soon turned ugly as Bangladesh batsman Mohammed Naim and other Sri Lankan players came between the two and had to push them away.
The umpires also had to intervene to prevent the altercation from getting out of hand.
The rivalry between the two teams has become particularly intense over the last few years, especially since the 2018 Nidahas Trophy tri-series in Sri Lanka, which was won by India in a last-ball thriller against Bangladesh.
There, even the Sri Lankan crowd came out in full support for the Indian team in the final.
