Cricket World Cup: Angelo Mathews became the first cricketer ever in international cricket to be dismissed ‘timed out’
Sri Lanka batter Angelo Mathews became the first cricketer ever to be ‘timed out’ during an international match as dramatic scenes unfolded during the Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in New Delhi on Monday. According to the rules at the Cricket World Cup, any new batter needs to reach the crease within two minutes of the dismissal. However, Mathews could not reach the field in time as the strap of his helmet was broken. Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed for the dismissal and the umpires had no other option than to give Mathews out. The Sri Lankan cricketer was left fuming at the incident and although he tried his best to state his case, the umpires did not change their decision. (Complete incident report | What the Law says about the dismissal)
Mathews was visibly upset by how the incident unfolded and he made his way to the dressing room while showing the broken helmet. After reaching the dugout, he threw away his helmet in frustration as teammates and team staff tried to calm him down on the way to the Sri Lanka dressing room.
According to the official MCC Rules – “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.”
However, this rule was modified to two minutes for Cricket World Cup 2023.
