Dismissal of Angelo Mathews – Timed Out Rule

After Sadeera Samarawickrama was dismissed, Mathews came into the batting order at number six. However, he was timed out without facing a ball, which has never happened in the history of international cricket in any format.

The Critical Moment

The veteran all-rounder from Sri Lanka, who came to the World Cup as a substitute, was caught off guard when Bangladesh filed an appeal while he was attending to a helmet problem. This incident happened in the 25th over of Sri Lanka’s innings, immediately following Samarawickrama’s dismissal by Shakib Al Hasan, who was caught by Mahmudullah close to the boundary.

The ICC Regulation

Mathews approached the crease slowly because he was having difficulties with the strap on his helmet breaking just as he was getting ready. Bangladesh, while indicating a potential replacement, filed an appeal for a “timed out” dismissal, arguing that Mathews had gone beyond the allotted time.

After negotiations between Bangladesh, Mathews, and the umpires, the appeal was upheld, which made Mathews leave the field in a dejected manner.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 rules state that a player has two minutes following a dismissal or retirement to be ready to face the ball. Refusal to comply leads to a “timed out” dismissal, regardless of the batter’s equipment problem.

Official Clarification

The fourth official, Adrian Holdstock, explained the dismissal and the rules that go along with it during the innings break. He made sure to emphasize that the time restriction supersedes the laws of cricket. He explained that before coming in to receive the ball, hitters must make sure they are prepared within the allotted time, including checking their equipment.

This incident is noteworthy because it is the first time that a batter has been ejected under the “timed out” law in an international cricket match involving both men’s and women’s teams. Although it is uncommon, Sourav Ganguly almost suffered a similar fate in a Test match against South Africa in 2007. However, the opposition captain decided not to file an appeal, therefore Ganguly was able to continue batting.

Notably, there have been six instances of batsmen being timed out in first-class cricket, which is noteworthy despite being a first in international cricket.