Bizarre dismissal a first at World Cup

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the first batter to be timed out in international cricket during the Cricket World Cup game against Bangladesh today.

Mathews wasn’t ready to face his first ball within the stipulated two minutes as the strap of his helmet appeared to be broken and he called for a replacement helmet.

A substitute fielder eventually ran out with a new helmet, but by then it had taken more than three minutes since the previous dismissal and onfield umpires Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth told Mathews he was out. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and his teammates had appealed for him to be timed out.

ICC rules state that a batter has “to be ready to receive the next ball within 2 minutes of the (previous) dismissal or retirement.”

Bangladesh went on to win the game by three wickets with 53 balls to spare to end Sri Lanka’s hopes of making the semifinals for the first time since 2011.

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Mathews, who first didn’t believe he was ruled out, was seen arguing with both onfield umpires while pointing toward the broken strap of his helmet.

Mathews also had a word with Shakib, who didn’t withdraw his appeal, before he walked back and kicked his helmet and thew his bat close to the boundary skirting in anger.

“We have certain protocols and the TV umpire monitors the two minutes,” fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock told broadcasters during the innings break. “He will then relay the message through to the on-field umpires and in the instance this afternoon, the batter wasn’t ready to receive the ball within those two minutes even before the strap (broke).”

Holdstock said that a batter has to make sure that all his equipment is in place so that he can face his first ball within two minutes.

“So technically you should be there within maybe 15 seconds to make sure all those things are in place before you actually receive the ball,” Holdstock said.

Sri Lanka, which was put into bat, was bowled out for 279 in the final over as Charith Asalanka anchored the innings with a knock of 108.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission