In a historic moment in international cricket, Sri Lankan cricketer Angelo Mathews found himself dismissed without even facing a single ball during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh. This remarkable incident unfolded on November 6, 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi.
Mathews' unusual dismissal was the result of the 'timed out' rule, a provision outlined in the ICC playing conditions. This rule mandates that a new batter must be ready to take their stance within two minutes of the preceding batter's dismissal. However, Mathews encountered an unexpected hurdle when his helmet's chinstrap suddenly snapped just as he was gearing up to face the bowler, Shakib Al Hasan. This unfortunate occurrence led to a brief delay as Mathews signalled to his team's dugout for a replacement helmet.
Regrettably, the umpires determined that Mathews had exceeded the two-minute timeframe even before the chinstrap mishap, leading to his controversial dismissal. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan subsequently appealed for the dismissal, which was upheld, much to Mathews' dismay.
In response to the decision, Mathews argued that he was fully prepared to face the bowler within the stipulated time limit. He even presented video evidence, complete with time-stamped screenshots, to bolster his claim that he still had five seconds remaining on the clock even after the helmet incident occurred.
India's cricketer Dinesh Karthik commented on the incident and said that Angelo Mathews failed to show presence of mind during the Bangladesh match. Karthik suggested that had Mathews taken a single delivery before requesting a helmet change, the situation could have been avoided.
"If Angelo Mathews would have faced one ball and then asked for the helmet, nothing would have happened. I don't think that he had the presence of mind at that point, but more importantly, I think that never in his wildest dreams, Mathews would have thought that somebody would have asked for timed-out. That is the more important thing," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Following the match, Mathews expressed his frustration with Bangladesh's actions, labelling them as "disgraceful." He also criticised the umpires for what he perceived as a lack of "common sense." Mathews argued that his dismissal boiled down to a straightforward case of "equipment malfunction," emphasising the safety aspect that should have been taken into consideration. However, Shakib defended his team's appeal, asserting that they had adhered to the rules.
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