Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews on Monday morning became the first player in the history of international cricket to be timed-out.
Mathews was the victim of the rare dismissal during his country’s World Cup group stage meeting with Bangladesh in Delhi.
The ICC’s playing regulations for the tournament state that new batters must be ready to face their first ball within two minutes of the previous batter being dismissed.
Mathews arrived at the crease at No6 after Sadeera Samarawickrama was out in the 25th over of the Sri Lankan innings, but appeared to have a problem with the strap on his helmet, which delayed him taking his guard.
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan lodged - and then refused to withdraw - a controversial appeal, with Mathews subsequently sent on his way despite remonstrations with the umpires.
The MCC’s Laws state that new batters are allowed three minutes to be ready to face their first ball, though the window is smaller under World Cup rules, while in T20 matches it is usually set at 90 seconds.
In reality, though, instances of the dismissal being enforced are extremely rare, with just six in the history of first-class cricket and Mathews’s the first in 146 years of the international game.
