ANGELO MATHEWS TIMED OUT! – By Upali Obeyesekere
Source : facebook
SPIRIT OF CRICKET LEFT IN DOLDRUMS! PATHETIC APPEAL BY BANGLA SKIPPER SHAKIB AL HASAN! SAD DAY FOR INTERNATIONAL CRICKET!
Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the first batter to be timed out in international cricket during the Cricket World Cup game against Bangladesh on Monday. Mathews wasn’t ready to face his first ball within the stipulated two minutes as the strap of his helmet appeared to be broken and he called for a replacement helmet.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 playing conditions pertaining to “timed out” dismissals reads thus: 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.
Editor’s Note:
Two wrongs do not make a right!
My take on this distasteful incident is that the Umpires should have used their discretion and not ruled Mathews out in contravention of Rule 40.1.1 of the ICC World Cup rule book. Since this did not happen, Bangladesh skipper could have reversed his appeal and allowed Mathews to bat. But sadly, none of this happened. November 6, 2023, is a dark day in International Cricket. Spirit of the Game has gone to the dogs!
