Veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews has ceased to stay silent on the 'timed out' controversy in the 2023 World Cup clash against Bangladesh on Monday in Delhi. The 35-year-old took to his official handle on X, and shared pictures that he was at the crease before time and that the umpires' decision was wrong.
Mathews was visibly outraged over the umpires ruling him dismissed due to the 'Timed Out' method. The former Sri Lankan captain walked out to bat in the 25th over after Sadeera Samarawickrama's dismissal, but found that the strap of his helmet was broken. As he signaled to the dressing room for a replacement, Bangladesh captain Shakib al Hasan appealed and the umpires withheld the same and Mathews had to walk back.
Mathews took to X, reacting to a post by the ICC:
"4th umpire is wrong here! Video evidence shows I still had 5 more seconds even after the helmet gave away! Can the 4th umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn’t face the bowler without a helmet."
He added by sharing the pictures, depicting that the veteran was at the crease on time:
What does laws say?
However, according to the law, the seam-bowling all-rounder was timed out as he was not ready to face the first delivery within 2 minutes. Hence, it was not only about reaching the crease on time.
"World Cup playing conditions supersede the MCC laws of cricket" - Adrian Holdstock
Meanwhile, fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock explained the decision by saying that a batter must be ready to face the ball within two minutes of the previous player getting out.
"World Cup playing conditions supersede the MCC laws of cricket. When it comes out to ‘timed out’, the incoming batter must be in a position to receive the ball within two minutes. At the fall of a wicket, the TV umpire monitors the two minutes and relays the message through to the on-field umpires."
"In the instance, this afternoon, the batter wasn’t ready to receive the ball within those two minutes even before the strap became an issue for him. According to the playing conditions, the fielding captain appealed for timed out to Marais Erasmus who was the standing umpire just after the strap of the helmet came loose," Headstock added.
He concluded that Mathews had to ensure to get all his equipment in place due to which he suffered that dismissal.
"As a batsman, you need to make sure that all your equipment is in place in order to make sure you get here because you actually have to be ready to receive the ball in two minutes which includes preparing and taking your guard. So technically you should be there within 15 seconds to make sure that everything is in place before you face your first ball."
Sri Lanka were eventually knocked out of the competition as Bangladesh chased down 279.
