On 6th November, Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews was given ‘Time Out’ by the on-field umpires when Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan refused to withdraw their appeal. With this, Mathews has bagged an unfavourable record to his name as he is the first cricketer in history to be ‘Timed Out’ in an International match.
HISTORY IN DELHI….!!!
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 6, 2023
Angelo Mathews becomes the first cricketer in history to be out on 'timed out'. pic.twitter.com/VRg1xmSTDf
Notably, the 38th match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 is being played between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. After winning the toss, Bangladesh asked Sri Lanka to bat first, and Sri Lanka’s batters threw their wickets at regular intervals.
However, a new controversy erupted in the 25th over when Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews walked into bat. As per Sports websites, Mathews had issues with the helmet as he had picked the wrong helmet in haste.
Cricbuzz reported that Mathews leisurely walked out to the middle, which took some time, and then faced some issues with the helmet. However, by the time, the substitute ran out to bring the right helmet, three minutes had passed by. Consequently, while the umpires were having a word with Mathews, Bangladesh raised an appeal for a time-out.
Meanwhile, when Mathews didn’t reach the crease ‘in time’ and called for a replacement, Shakib and Bangladesh appealed for a time-out. Knowing the rules and adamant not to withdraw their appeal, Bangladesh gathered around as if celebrating a wicket.
But with a clear-cut ICC ruling regarding such a scenario, the umpires had to oblige and the scoreline read, “Shakib to Mathews, Timed Out!!” meaning Mathews was given timed out 0(0) without facing a delivery as he could not report to the pitch for ‘play’ within the stipulated time of three minutes.
Mathews had tried to plead his case to the umpires and Shakib, but the Bangladeshi skipper didn’t budge and fixed Mathews’ fate making him the first victim of ‘Time out’ in the International match.
Following the dismissal, Former Sri Lankan Cricketer and commentator Russel Arnold said, “This is the first time I have ever witnessed something like this.”
According to the ICC rule, a batter should be at the crease within 3 minutes of the dismissal/retirement. ICC rule on Time out states, “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,” as highlighted by Cricbuzz.
Even after the dismissal, Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis indulged in a chat with the Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha during which the fourth umpire was also present. However, it was a futile exercise as the game progressed once the umpire gave their verdict.
However, there has been in the past no love lost between these two sides and this dismissal, record-scripting first, will add fuel to the fire of the Sri Lanka v Bangladesh rivalry and take it to the next level.
It is important to note that a similar incident took place when India faced South Africa. It transpired in 2007, during the 3rd Test between South Africa and India in Cape Town. On the fourth day, Sourav Ganguly almost became the first batsman ever to get timed out in international cricket.
Although Sourav Ganguly took 6 minutes to come out of the pavilion, he was not given time out as South African captain Graeme Smith decided not to appeal in the spirit of the game when Umpire Daryl Harper explained the situation to him.
