Angelo Mathews timed out: How Sri Lanka batter made international history at Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the first batter to be timed out in international cricket during Monday’s World Cup group-stage match against Bangladesh in Delhi.

There have only been six other instances of a batter being timed out in top-level cricket since the law was introduced.

So what happened, what do the Laws say and what has the reaction been?

Scroll to the end to vote and have your say.

What happened?

What is the Law?

To make matters even more confusing, the International Cricket Council (ICC) applies a different timeframe than the Laws of the game, which are determined by MCC.

The Laws apply to all cricket, except where specific playing conditions are implemented for particular tournaments, leagues or matches.

Law 40.1.1 refers to a batter timed out, and reads: “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 three minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out.”

However, the ICC’s playing conditions for this World Cup read: “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 two minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out.”

In essence, Mathews only had two minutes, rather than three, to be ready to face his first ball.

Samarawickrama was dismissed at 10:19:05 GMT, with Mathews’ helmet strap breaking at 10:20:58, within the two-minute allowance. He started to make his way off the field at 10:25:30, more than five minutes after the previous dismissal.

Mathews could have batted without a helmet – they are not required in matches overseen by the ICC, unlike in England and Wales – but opted not to.

What has the reaction been?

The reaction has been mixed.

Former Ireland wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien, from the BBC Test Match Special team, said: “I think he was ready to face the ball. He was on the pitch and his equipment failed him. I think there was a mistake there.”

Ex-Bangladesh batter Athar Ali Khan, who was part of the TV coverage, said: “I don’t like what I’m seeing, it is not good for the game. It’s against the spirit of the game, that’s how I feel about it.

“If something goes wrong with the helmet you should be allowed an extra couple of minutes to fix it.

“It is the first time we’re seeing this in cricket, it is not good scenes, I must say that. I would have definitely called him back.”

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja was also commentating on TV and felt the umpires dealt with the situation well.

“To a certain degree it is an onus on cricketers to learn the rules and understand the spirit of the rules,” said Raja.

“Most of us don’t, but the umpires were on top of the situation. It was a tough call to make.

“You’ve got back the Law here and be more understanding of what you’re trying to do and what the Law is.”

Speaking between innings, fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock said: “The ICC World Cup playing conditions supersede MCC Laws of Cricket.

“When it comes to timed out, the incoming batter has to be in position to receive the ball within two minutes.

“The TV umpire monitors the two minutes and he will then relay the message to the standing umpire. In this instance the batter wasn’t ready within those two minutes even before the strap became an issue for him. The two minutes had already elapsed.

“According to the playing conditions, the fielding captain requested/initiated to the standing umpire that he wanted to appeal for timed out.

“As a batsman you need to make sure all your equipment is in place. You have to be ready to receive the ball in two minutes, not just take your guard. So technically you need to be in place after around 15 seconds so you can get ready to receive the ball.”

When were the other instances?

This is the seventh instance of the Law being used, but the first in international and limited-overs cricket, as all previous occasions came in domestic first-class cricket.

WhoGameWhenWhyAndrew Jordaan Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth 1987-88Was not out overnight but delayed getting to ground because of floodsHemulal YadavTripura v Orissa at Cuttack1997-98 Talking to team manager and did not attempt to reach creaseVasbert Drakes Border v Free State at East London2002Was still flying from the West IndiesAJ HarrisNottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham2003Was suffering with a groin injury and was unable to move quicklyRyan AustinCombined Campuses and Colleges v Windward Islands at Kingstown, St Vincent2013-14No obvious reasonCharles KunjeMatabeleland Tuskers v Mountaineers at Bulawayo2017-18UnknownNow have your say…

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