In a groundbreaking moment in international cricket, Angelo Mathews found himself in the centre of a strange incident during his appearance at the World Cup. Mathews entered the batting crease at No. 6 following Sadeera Samarawickrama's dismissal. However, before he could face a single delivery, he made history by becoming the first player to be timed out in international cricket across all formats.

Why did Mathews get timed out?

The experienced Sri Lankan all-rounder, who had joined the World Cup as a replacement player, encountered an unexpected turn of events. His walk to the crease was interrupted when he needed to address a helmet issue. Amid this delay, Bangladesh seized the opportunity and appealed for his dismissal resulting in Mathews' unusual 'timed out' dismissal.

The incident happened during the 25th over of the Sri Lanka innings when Shakib Al Hasan had just dismissed Samarawickrama who was caught by Mahmudullah near the boundary. Mathews, who was set to bat next, took his time walking to the crease. However, he encountered an issue with his helmet as the strap broke just as he was preparing to take his batting position. While signalling to the dressing room for a replacement helmet, Shakib and the entire Bangladesh team appealed for a "timed out" dismissal. The umpires upheld the appeal, much to Mathews' evident dismay. Despite Mathews engaging in discussions with both the Bangladesh team and the umpires, the appeal was not withdrawn, forcing Mathews to leave the field in a state of disappointment.

What are ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 playing conditions for "timed out" dismissals?

According to the rules set by the International Cricket Council for the World Cup, a batsman needs to be prepared to face the next ball within two minutes of the previous dismissal. In the case of Angelo Mathews, there was no indication of any delay until his helmet's chinstrap broke while he was trying to adjust it.

According to the ICC's official website, the rule says, "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."

According to BBC, Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said, "It is very disappointing that when Angelo came to the crease there were like five seconds left for him to be ready and he found out that his helmet strap came out."It was an equipment failure so I'm disappointed that the umpires couldn't react there and apply common sense. Unfortunately, it happened during a crucial time."