Angelo Mathews questioned the spirit of cricket after he had become the first batter in international cricket to be given “timed out”. It happened during the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh World Cup match on November 6 in New Delhi.
Angelo, preparing for his first delivery, apparently faced an equipment malfunction when his helmet strap broke. Despite a replacement helmet being fetched, more than three minutes had passed, exceeding the rule of two minutes to face the next ball.
Bangladesh, led by captain Shakib Al Hasan, lodged an appeal to the umpires. Umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth upheld the appeal, leading to Mathews’ dismissal.
Angelo’s frustration was visible as he left the pitch, demonstrating his dismay by throwing away his helmet and bat. Mathews openly criticised Bangladesh’s sportsmanship and questioned the application of “common sense”.
“I don’t know where the common sense went because it’s obviously disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh,” Mathews said during a post-match press conference. “If they want to play cricket like that, obviously stooped out to that level, I think there’s something wrong drastically.
This incident escalated tensions, with Sri Lankan captain Kusal Mendis and his team engaging in a heated exchange with the Bangladeshi players, subsequently opting not to participate in the customary post-match handshakes.
“You need to respect people who respect us,” Mathews said while defending his team’s refusal to shake hands with Bangladeshi cricketers. “I mean, we all are ambassadors of this beautiful game, including the umpires. So, then, if you don’t respect and if you don’t use your common sense what more can you ask for?”
Shakib later said that Mathews had asked him if he would withdraw the appeal. “I said, you know, ‘I understand your situation.’ It was unfortunate, but I don’t want to,” Associated Press quoted Shakib as saying.
What about the rule?
“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,” Wisden quoted the Timed Out law as stating.
It is important to note that it’s not only about being on the field. The batter must be ready to receive the ball within the time limit.
Sri Lanka have said that they have video proof to back their claim that Mathews was at his crease on time, challenging the decision by highlighting that the helmet issue arose within the final seconds of the permitted two-minute interval.
Mathews expressed disbelief at the fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock’s statement that the batter wasn’t ready before the strap broke.
“It’s quite laughable,” Mathews said.
(With AP inputs)
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Updated: 07 Nov 2023, 07:36 AM IST