Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have an 'old history' of being involved in controversial circumstances and their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixture was no less. Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first international cricketer to be 'timed out' after he was deemed of being not ready to face the ball within two minutes of the fall of a wicket against Bangladesh in Delhi on Monday. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Pics)
The 36-year-old walked out to bat after the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama during the 25th over but had some issues with his helmet strap and signalled for a replacement, prompting Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan to appeal for a 'time out'.
Mathews was seen having an animated discussion with umpire Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth, explaining that he had some issue with the helmet strap but the Sri Lankan cricketer was asked to leave the field.
What Does The Law State?
According to the 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, the Cricket World Cup 2023 playing conditions pertaining to "timed out" dismissals reads: "40.1.1 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 2 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out."
Previous Instances Of Timed Out Dismissals In Cricket
| Who | Game | When | Why |
| Andrew Jordaan | Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth | 1987-88 | Was not out overnight but delayed getting to ground because of floods |
| Hemulal Yadav | Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack | 1997-98 | Talking to team manager and did not attempt to reach crease |
| Vasbert Drakes | Border v Free State at East London | 2002 | Was still flying from the West Indies |
| AJ Harris | Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham | 2003 | Was suffering with a groin injury and was unable to move quickly |
| Ryan Austin | Combined Campuses and Colleges v Windward Islands at Kingstown, St Vincent | 2013-14 | No obvious reason |
| Charles Kunje | Matabeleland Tuskers v Mountaineers at Bulawayo | 2017-18 | Unknown |
