Angelo Mathews did not mince his words in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 loss to Bangladesh. (Highlights | Report | Pics | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
"I haven't done anything wrong. I had two minutes to get ready which I did but there was an equipment malfunction and I don't know where commonsense (had) gone. It was disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh," Mathews said. "If they want to play cricket like that, stoop to that level, it is something wrong drastically. If I got late, past my two minutes and the law says I have to get ready in two minutes, I still had five more seconds to go.
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"It was just pure commonsense, I am not saying (doing) 'Mankading' or obstructing the field here, It is absolutely disgraceful."
The cause behind Matthews' ire was understandable at the very least. On Monday, November 6, 2023, the experienced Sri Lankan cricketer became the first individual in international cricket to return to the pavilion without facing a single delivery. The reason for that was simple: Matthews had failed to appear onto the pitch within the pre-determined time limit between wickets; Bangladesh appealed for an immediate dismissal and justifiably got their reward.
'Timed Out' is a rare case in cricket. Only a handful of batters have ever faced the wrath of the unseen dismissal, knocking their stumps out before they have had a chance to set themselves up on the crease. Among those was Hemulal Yadav, whose conversation on the peripheries with his team manager cost him dearly on fine evening in the late 1990s. Yadav, a player for Tripura in First Class Cricket for two years between 1996 and 1998, didn't stick around long enough to build a career in the sport, and is best remembered for his dubious dismissal during the 1997-98 season as such.
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It is believed that during a Ranji Trophy match between Tripura and Odisha in Cuttack, Yadav stood by the boundary, deep in conversation with his manager, missing his cue to enter the pitch and take the place of his fallen teammate. While Yadav is the first and only Indian First Class cricket to have dismissed in such manner, he is a part of a select group of batters who faced the same fate across different times the world over.
Andrew Jordaan survived the law overnight but was declared out after he failed to reach the crease the next day due to floods in Port Elizabeth. Vasbert Drakes was miles above ground, twitching in his aeroplane seat to get to the ground on time, when the umpires decided upon his dismissal in East London. AJ Harris made an almighty effort to reach the crease due to an ongoing groin strain, but was not permitted to face even a single ball for all his troubles in Nottingham. Ryan Austin and Charles Kunje, four years away from each other, suffered the same embarassment in Kingstown and Bulawayo, respectively.
There are dubious dismissals - and then there is the 'Timed Out'!
