During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh, Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka faced a unique situation by becoming the first batter in international cricket to be timed out. This peculiar incident occurred as Mathews was not prepared to face his first delivery within the allocated two-minute timeframe. He had to call for a replacement helmet due to a broken strap.
A substitute fielder eventually arrived with a new helmet, but the delay extended beyond three minutes from the previous dismissal. Onfield umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth then declared Mathews out, in accordance with ICC rules that require a batter to be ready to receive the next ball within two minutes of the previous dismissal or retirement.
Mathews engaged in a heated exchange with the umpires, highlighting the broken helmet strap as the reason for the delay. He also exchanged words with Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, before reluctantly leaving the field, displaying his frustration by tossing his helmet and bat near the boundary.
This unusual turn of events left Sri Lanka struggling at 135-5 midway through their innings, but they managed to recover to a score of 252-6 in 45 overs, after being put in to bat.
Meanwhile, reserve umpire Adrian Holdstock explained during the innings break that, as a batter, it is essential to ensure all equipment is in order before taking the field. The requirement is to be ready to face the ball within two minutes after a dismissal. He also pointed out that the two-minute limit had already elapsed between the dismissal of Samarawickrama and the helmet strap issue that affected Mathews.
“As a batter you need to make sure that all your equipment are in place before you go out in the middle, because you have to be ready to face the ball within two minutes,” Holdstock said to Ian Bishop during the innings break of the match.
