At the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi during Sri Lanka and Bangladesh’s World Cup 2023 match, all-rounder Angelo Mathews displayed what he called “video evidence” to refute the umpires’ decision to remove him for a timed out, which was not only highly controversial but also unprecedented. A timeout called by Mathews was reversed on appeal by the captain of Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan, a bizarre occurrence that has never occurred before in the history of international cricket.
This happened during Sri Lanka’s 25th over of their innings. Sadeera Samarawickrama was out for a duck after being bowled by Shakib’s second ball of the over. Mathews saw his helmet’s broken strap before he could set his guard, so he requested a new one without alerting the umpires. The Bangladeshi fielders took notice and promptly called a timeout to voice their displeasure at Mathews’ play. Ex-Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews disagreed with umpires Richard Illingworth and Marais Erasmus, and Shakib called timeout.
On Monday at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews was arguing with the umpires after being timed out during their match against Bangladesh. (ANI)
Mathews was seen walking toward the dugout and chucking his helmet into the air, followed by the disposal of his gloves and bat. He went down in cricket history books as the first player to be timed out during an international match. Since then, there has been an ongoing debate that refuses to stop.
The Bangladeshi team and Shakib were within their rights to appeal since the rule states that the batter must be ready to face the first ball within three minutes after the previous dismissal. In World Cups, however, the time is two minutes. Due to a technological flaw in the playing conditions, the batter is offered no leeway.
Also Read : World Cup 2023 match between India and Sri Lanka
Shakib may have been able to dismiss the charges. Two such requests from the on-field umpires were unanswered by the Bangladesh captain, Shakib. When Mathews appealed despite a broken helmet strap, should the referees have erred on the side of caution? Shakib did not back down.
Mathews had already used up his two-minute timeout when he had difficulties with his helmet strap, as fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock said.
The International Cricket Council’s regulations will supersede the MCC’s during the World Cup. For the timed out to take effect, “the incoming batter has to be in position and ready to receive the ball within two minutes after the fall of a wicket or even retirement of a batter, or his other partner to receive the ball in two minutes,” as explained by Holdstock in an interview with former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop.
Following standard protocol, the TV umpire monitors the clock for two minutes after the fall of the wicket. And he’ll relay the message to the referees out there. The batter “wasn’t ready to receive the ball within those two minutes this afternoon, even before the strap became an issue for him,” the fourth umpire said.
In response to Bishop’s questioning, he confirmed: “Yes, that’s correct, the two minutes had already elapsed before he had received the next delivery.”
The captain of the fielding team must inform Erasmus, the temporary umpire, of his intention to request a timeout following the regulations. The fielding captain promptly called time out as the strap came undone.
Mathews disagrees vigorously and claims he can prove his assertions with video proof.
However, Mathews was unable to accept it. Through the power of social media, he made his voice known.
