A rather bizarre piece of cricketing history was written in Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, where Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first player in the history of the sport to be given 'timed out' in an international match.
What Was the Incident?
The incident happened during the 25th over the 2023 ICC World Cup game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, where veteran campaigner Angelo Mathews walked out to bat following Sadeera Samarawickrama's dismissal.
While he was slow to get to the 22 yards, Mathews' helmet strap broke while he was trying to make it tighter, before he took stance. The former Lankan skipper subsequently called a substitute for a replacement helmet, which was delivered to him, but Bangladesh's captain Shakib Al Hasan chose to appeal – on grounds of the batter not being ready within the stipulated two-minute duration.
What Does the Rule Say?
According to the 2023 ICC World Cup Playing Conditions, a batter coming to the crease after a wicket must be ready to face the first ball within two minutes after the dismissal.
It is important to note that this rule differs from the MCC law, which says the batter has three minutes to get ready to face the first ball, and not two.
"After the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball, or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within 3 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out," MCC's Law 40.1.1 reads.
Fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock confirmed that the World Cup Playing Conditions supersede the MCC laws.
Did the Malfunctioning Helmet Cause Mathews’ Dismissal?
Speaking to Ian Bishop, Adrian Holdstock confirmed Angelo Mathews had already exceeded the two-minute limit even before he broke his helmet strap. Hence, that malfunction did not result in his dismissal.
What Did Shakib Do?
As confirmed by Holdstock, Shakib Al Hasan appealed for Mathews' wicket to umpire Marais Erasmus, who was then obligated to give the Sri Lankan batter out. While Mathews did try to make a case for himself, saying the delay was caused by the malfunctioning of his helmet, Shakib was not ready to withdraw his appeals.
Has Anyone Ever Been Timed Out?
Though Mathews became the first player to lose his wicket to this mode of dismissal in international cricket, there have been ‘timed out’ wickets in domestic cricket.
On 20 December 1997, Tripura’s Hemulal Yadav was timed out in a first-class match against Odisha. A bowler who batted at number 11, Yadav was so engrossed in a conversation with a team official that he did not notice he had gone past the stipulated timing.
In another bizarre incident before that of Yadav, South African player Andrew Jordaan was timed out because of the nature’s wrath. Playing in a domestic match between Eastern Province and Transvaal, he could not get to the ground in time because of water-logged roads.
Andrew Harris, Vasbert Drakes, Ryan Austin and Charles Kunje are other players who were 'timed out' in domestic matches.
When Sourav Ganguly Almost Got Timed Out
International cricketer nearly had its first ‘timed out’ dismissal on 5 January 2007, during a Test match between India and South Africa in Cape Town. In the second innings, India lost both of their openers – Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer – in a span of three deliveries.
Sachin Tendulkar used to bat at number four for India, but since he did not field for about the last 18 minutes of South Africa’s innings, he was ineligible to come on for the same duration of time in India’s innings.
VVS Laxman was the number five batter for India, but having not predicted such a predicament, he was reportedly in the washroom and unable to get ready in time. With no options available, Sourav Ganguly came out to bat at number four, but only after a lengthy delay of well of six minutes – twice the allowed period.
South African skipper Graeme Smith could have appealed, which would have resulted in Ganguly’s dismissal, but he chose not to.
How Did the Cricket Fraternity React?
The dismissal has caused a divide in the cricket fraternity, with the debate of laws vs sportsmanship raging once again.
Former South African pace Dale Steyn, who was at the ground when Smith chose not to appeal against Ganguly, posted "Well, that wasn’t cool."
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir described the incident as "absolutely pathetic."
Australian batter Usman Khawaja stated the dismissal was ridiculous.
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