Angelo Mathews Timed Out Before Facing a Ball

In an unprecedented move, umpires adjudged Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews timed out, even before facing a single ball. This happened in the ODI World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh held at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Angelo Mathews entered the crease as the 6th batsman after Sadeera Samarawickrama was dismissed. As Mathews was about to take on Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, he had trouble with the helmet he was wearing. When he took more than two minutes to face the ball, Bangladesh players appealed to the umpire for his wicket, and the umpire allowed the appeal according to the time-out rule.

According to the rule, a batsman who enters the crease must face his first ball within two minutes. As Mathews failed to comply with the rule, the umpires had no choice but to adjudge him out. However, Mathews was not ready to return to the pavilion, and he clung to the crease for a while.

The stadium also witnessed heated discussions between the players as Mathews defied the umpires” decision. This is the first time in the history of international cricket that such an incident has occurred.

After returning from the crease, Mathews could be seen lashing out at Sri Lankan support staff for not arranging his helmet properly. The drama was over when the next batsman came out to bat and the match resumed thereafter.