Angelo Mathews became the first player to be “timed out” in 146 years of international cricket, sparking controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s World Cup group-stage victory against Sri Lanka in Delhi.
Following a three-wicket victory that moved Bangladesh to seventh in the standings, it became the main topic of conversation. After the game, Mathews termed Sri Lanka’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, “disgraceful,” and the team refused to shake hands with their opponents. Following the dismissal of the fourth wicket, Mathews casually walked onto the pitch during the 25th over of Sri Lanka’s batting. After receiving a blow, the versatile player realized that his helmet’s chin strap was damaged and signaled for a replacement to be brought to him.
However, a batsman must be “ready to receive the ball” within two minutes of the preceding wicket falling, according to World Cup rules. As this period passed, Shakib, the bowler at the time, startled both Mathews and the onlookers by requesting a time-out. When the umpire, Marais Erasmus, twice inquired if he genuinely wanted to proceed with the appeal, Shakib responded in the positive. Without having to face a ball, this left a shell-shocked Mathews out for a duck. When the 36-year-old arrived at the Sri Lanka dugout, he turned to leave and dropped his helmet to the ground out of disgust. After assisting his team in chasing down 280 and securing one of the eight qualifying spots for the 2025 Champions Trophy, Shakib declared, “I was at war, and I had to make sure my team wins,” with no regrets. Arguably, there will be discussions about this; however, I don’t mind accepting those chances provided they are stated in the rules.
During the inning change, Adrian Holdstock, the fourth umpire, stated that Mathews had not yet realized his helmet issue. There was backlash due to the uncommon dismissal and use of defective safety gear. Those who questioned if it was in the “spirit of the game” included former Pakistan international Waqar Younis. Other players, both past and current, have expressed similar opinions on social media.
As is often the case in discussions related to the ‘spirit of cricket,’ such as those that arise from the controversial Mankad dismissal, which involves running out a batsman at the non-striker’s end, there were also individuals who voiced their approval of Shakib’s actions. Even though they lost, Mathews took some small solace in taking Shakib out of the run chase for eighty-two and seemingly pointing to a watch as he did so.
- Misleading Video Alters Prime Minister Shehbaz’s Speech Targeting Political Rival, Not His Party - 21/04/2024
- ATC Grants Three-Day Remand for Suspects in Ichhra Bazaar Harassment Case - 19/03/2024
- Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh Lead World in Severe Smog Crisis, Exceeding WHO Guidelines - 19/03/2024
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.othernews.pk/angelo-mathews-becomes-the-first-batter-to-be-timed-out-in-international-cricket/&media=https://www.othernews.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-3.png&description=Angelo Mathews became the first player to be "timed out" in 146 years of international cricket, sparking controversy surrounding Bangladesh's World Cup group-stage victory against Sri Lanka in Delhi.){kind=link}