NEW DELHI: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) stated that the umpires were correct in their decision to rule Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews ‘Timed Out’ in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup against Bangladesh, and added that the all-rounder could have avoided the dismissal if he had alerted the on-field umpires about the issue in his helmet. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on November 6, Mathews on Monday became the first cricketer to be dismissed ‘timed out’ in international cricket. But he encountered a delay in taking the guard as a strap of his helmet broke and Mathews signaled to the dugout for a replacement helmet.
This prompted Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan to appeal for a ‘timed-out’ dismissal, following which the on-field umpires declared Mathews out by that mode, leading to many opinions around it, especially in the aftermath of the incident.
The MCC Law 40.1.1 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.”
But the World Cup Playing Conditions meant the relevant timing went from three minutes to two minutes. “The key part of the Law, on this occasion, is that the batter must ‘be ready to receive the ball’. Being on the field, or even at the wicket, is not enough to avoid being Timed out.”
“The batter must be in position for the bowler to be able to bowl inside the allotted time. The umpires determined that Mathews was not ready to face the ball within that two-minute allowance. He subsequently suffered an issue with his helmet, causing further delay.”
“Had the umpires been informed of a significant, justifiable, equipment-related delay within the two-minute allowance, they could have treated it as a new type of delay (as they would when, for example, a bat breaks), possibly even calling Time, allowing for a resolution of that delay without the batter being at risk of being Timed out. However, it is important to note that both umpires determined the delay came after the two minutes had elapsed, and that Time had not been called before the appeal,” said the MCC in its statement. IANS
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