Star Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel, who hit a fifty against India in the ongoing edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, was timed-out on March 4 (Tuesday) after reportedly sleeping off his chance to reach the crease. Shakeel was supposed to bat at number five for State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) against Pakistan Television (PTV) in the President's Cup Grade 1 First-Class tournament. This incident adds another chapter to the current sorry picture of the state of Pakistan cricket, which is receiving endless criticism.
Saud Shakeel gets timed out
After consecutive wickets fell, Saud Shakeel, who was supposed to bat at No. 5, was unable to reach the crease in the allotted three minutes. Amad Butt, the captain of the PTV team, immediately appealed, and the umpires disqualified him. Shakeel allegedly fell asleep and lost his opportunity to bat in time, according to reports. He now has the regrettable distinction of becoming the seventh batter in the history of the game to be timed out in first-class cricket and the first Pakistani.
The incident started when Mohammad Shahzad dismissed captain Umar Amin and Fawad Alam off successive deliveries, putting SBP in trouble after they were batting first at 128-1. The next batter, Shakeel, took longer than permitted to arrive, and PTV took advantage of the situation with a winning appeal.
Shahzad completed a spectacular hat-trick by bowling Mohammad Irfan on the following ball, adding to SBP's suffering and causing them to collapse for 205. Shakeel is now one of just seven cricket players in first-class history to be "timed out" since the rule was implemented, making him an exclusive and undesirable addition to the list.
What is Timed-Out dismissal?
When a new batter fails to reach the crease within three minutes after the previous batter's dismissal, it is known as a "timed out" dismissal in cricket. The fielding side may argue for a "timed out" dismissal if the approaching batter is not prepared to take his place at the crease or at his partner's end within that time limit. The batsman is declared out if the appeal is successful. Although it is one of the ten approved methods of dismissal in cricket law, professional matches hardly ever use this technique.
