Angelo Mathews Becomes First Player 'Timed Out' in International Cricket

The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India was one of the most commercially successful tournaments in cricket history. India hosted all matches, with enormous crowds and unprecedented broadcast audiences. The tournament was also notable for several controversial moments — but none matched the unprecedented dismissal of Angelo Mathews in the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match in Delhi on 6 November 2023.

The "Timed Out" dismissal had existed in cricket's Laws for over a century. Law 40 of the Laws of Cricket states that a new batsman must be ready to face the next delivery within three minutes (subsequently changed to two minutes in modern Laws). The dismissal had never been given in international cricket — it was considered a theoretical provision that would never be invoked, a technicality in the Laws that existed but whose use would be so obviously contrary to the spirit of cricket that no team would ever pursue it.

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's captain, was a man who had demonstrated throughout his career that he would pursue every legal advantage with total ruthlessness. When the situation arose in November 2023, he made a decision that shocked the cricket world.

Sri Lanka were 61 for 5 chasing Bangladesh's total when Angelo Mathews came in to bat. As he reached the crease and prepared to face, he discovered that the chin strap on his helmet had broken. He called for a replacement helmet from the dressing room. This caused a delay. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, having observed the delay, consulted with his teammates and then raised his hand to appeal for Timed Out.

The on-field umpires referred the decision to the third umpire. Footage was reviewed. The three-minute (or two-minute, depending on which version of the Laws applied) clock had elapsed. Mathews had not been ready to face. The umpires gave Mathews out Timed Out. He was the first batsman in 146 years of international cricket to be dismissed in this way.

Mathews was furious. He held up the broken chin strap to the cameras, clearly indicating the reason for the delay — equipment failure, something outside his control. Sri Lanka's dressing room erupted in anger. The crowd — in India, where Shakib was not universally popular — jeered Bangladesh's captain. The images of Mathews, bat in hand, dismissed for a broken chin strap, went around the world.

During the 2023 World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Delhi, Angelo Mathews walked out to bat but discovered his helmet chin strap was broken. As he tried to get a replacement helmet, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed for a "Timed Out" dismissal under Law 40.1.1, which requires an incoming batsman to be ready to face a ball within two minutes.

The umpires upheld the appeal, making Mathews the first player in 147 years of international cricket to be dismissed "Timed Out." The decision was technically correct under the laws, but it was widely criticized as being against the spirit of the game. Mathews was visibly furious, pointing at his broken helmet and arguing he had a legitimate reason for the delay. The Sri Lankan camp accused Shakib of poor sportsmanship.

Shakib was unapologetic, arguing the rules were clear and he was entitled to make the appeal. The incident divided opinion globally, with some praising Shakib for enforcing the rules and others condemning him for using a technicality to dismiss a batsman who was clearly ready to bat but for an equipment malfunction. The ICC subsequently reviewed the Timed Out regulations, and the incident sparked discussions about whether equipment failures should be exempted from the time limit.

“I have the right to appeal under the Laws. I appealed. The umpires gave it out. I stand by the decision.”

“My chin strap broke. It was not my fault. This is not the spirit of cricket.”

“I have never seen anything like it in cricket. Whatever the Laws say, this was wrong.”

“The Law is clear. We will review whether it should make provision for equipment failure, but the dismissal was legal.”

Sri Lanka lost the match and were already eliminated from contention. The Timed Out dismissal became the talking point of the 2023 World Cup. Shakib defended his decision calmly: he was entitled under the Laws to appeal, the Laws existed for a reason, and he had no obligation to withdraw the appeal. His detractors argued that the spirit of cricket required Bangladesh to withdraw the appeal once it became clear that Mathews had been delayed by equipment failure rather than deliberate time-wasting.

The MCC — the guardian of cricket's Laws — was asked to comment. Their response acknowledged the dismissal was legal but said they would review whether the Law needed to be amended to specifically exclude equipment failure as grounds for a Timed Out dismissal. This was exactly the kind of review that critics argued should have happened proactively — the gap between the Law's theoretical application and its reasonable application had been exposed by the first time it was ever used.

Mathews filed a formal complaint about Shakib's conduct with the ICC, arguing that the Bangladesh captain had acted contrary to the spirit of cricket. The ICC found the appeal had been legitimate under the Laws and took no action against Shakib. Mathews's complaint thus achieved nothing practically, though it underscored the moral disagreement.