‘Ridiculous’, ‘Pathetic’, ‘Not cool’: Cricket world reacts to Mathews getting ‘timed out’

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews was on Monday controversially given "timed out" in a ICC World Cup clash against Bangladesh, becoming the first man to suffer the dismissal in the 146-year history of international cricket.

The former captain took more than two minutes to take strike and opposition skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed, which was upheld by the on-field umpire.

Mathews came into bat after the fall of Sadeera Samarawickrama in the 25th over but was unable to secure his helmet strap tightly enough, an action which delayed the resumption of play.

Following the Bangladesh appeal, the umpires held a lengthy discussion with the players including Mathews.

They ruled Mathews to be out and the 36-year-old veteran reluctantly trudged off with most spectators appearing bemused by the decision. Some Bangladesh fans applauded.

"My point is that Mathews' dismissal was not good for the spirit of cricket," Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka, who smashed a century in the match, told the broadcasters.

Former Bangladesh cricketer Athar Ali Khan echoed the same view while commentating on the match.

"I don't like what I'm seeing, it is not good for the game. It's against the spirit of the game, that's how I feel about it.

"If something goes wrong with the helmet you should be allowed an extra couple of minutes to fix it."

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said it was the batter's duty to be ready within the stipulated time.

"To a certain degree it is an onus on cricketers to learn the rules and understand the spirit of the rules," Raja said.

"Most of us don't, but the umpires were on top of the situation. It was a tough call to make."

Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn writing on X, formerly Twitter, said, "Well, that wasn't cool".

Ex-india batsman Gautam Gambhir, on 'X', said, "Absolutely pathetic what happened in Delhi today!."

Australian Test batsman Usman Khawaja also blasted the decision.

"Angelo made his crease then his helmet strap broke. How is that timed out? I'm all for timed out if he doesn't make his crease but this is ridiculous. No different than a batsman getting to the crease then taking 3 minutes to face up," he wrote on social media.

Former Australia cricketer Mark Waugh was also appalled by what happened in Delhi.

"Forget the spirit of the game, forget the law, how does a fair minded cricketer even think to appeal for this type of dismissal let alone actually carry it out."

According to laws of cricket, after the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batsman, the incoming player must be ready to receive the ball within two minutes.

The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians said there have been six instances of "timed out" in first-class cricket.

"There have been no instances recorded in List A or Twenty20 cricket until Mathews," they wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.