In a recent match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the ODI World Cup 2023, Angelo Mathews faced a controversial timed-out dismissal. It marked the first-ever instance in international cricket. The incident occurred in the 38th match when Sri Lanka, batting first, found Mathews in the middle order.
As Mathews prepared to face the bowler, the chin strap of his helmet broke, leading to additional time wastage. The Bangladesh skipper appealed to the umpire, resulting in Mathews becoming the victim of the unprecedented timed-out dismissal.
A recent report by ESPNcricinfo revealed that the umpires had informed Mathews in advance about the remaining time he had to face a delivery. Richard Illingworth communicated that he had 30 seconds left before facing the ball, warning him of the imminent timed-out threat.
After the game, Mathews expressed his viewpoint, suggesting that the match officials could have exercised “common sense” before dismissing him. He shared about the difficulty he faced in preparing to face a delivery without ensuring the integrity of his helmet.
According to ICC rules, a batter must be ready within two minutes after a wicket falls. Mathews entered the field a minute and 10 seconds after the fall of a wicket. Upon his arrival at the crease, he was informed that he had 30 seconds left.
However, instead of promptly informing the officials about the equipment issue, Mathews signaled the dugout for a replacement. This caused further delay. The rule states that the batter should inform umpires of any gear changes to manage time efficiently.
With the helmet incident, two minutes and 30 seconds had already passed when Shakib Al Hasan appealed to the umpires, leading to Mathews’ exit without facing a single delivery due to a timeout.
In the post-match press conference, Mathews shared his perspective, advocating for the treatment of equipment malfunctions as a separate delay, different from a timed-out dismissal.