'Meet the First Ever Player in Cricket History...': Social Media Erupts as Angelo Mathews is 'Timed Out' Against Bangladesh in ICC WC 2023

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi witnessed an unprecedented moment in cricketing history as Lankan player Angelo Mathews was declared dismissed as he was timed out during his side’s innings against the Bangla Tigers.

Mathews came out to bat when Sri Lanka were 135 for 5 in the 25th over of the game. The player came to the crease and found that his helmet strap was broken and requested a change of helmet, causing a delay. However, Bangladesh skipper Shakib al Hassan appealed for a wicket and the umpires had to follow the rulebook and raise the finger to send Matthews back to the hut.

According to the rules, after the fall of a wicket, the incoming batsman must be ready to receive the next delivery within 3 minutes. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, timed out.

Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts. 

Fans of the game took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to express their opinion on the dismissal.

One fan wrote, “Unbelievable from the umpires and Bangladesh to let Angelo Mathews be timed out. His helmet was broken. That’s a player safety issue. Appalling.”

Another viewer posted, “Never seen that before – a timed out dismissal! Angelo Matthews filthy with Bangladesh for appealing – huge drama.”

One post taking a dig at the Sri Lankan player read, “Meet the first ever player in cricket history to be “timed out” – Angelo Matthews!”

Another fan was furious with the Bangladesh side and shared a post that read, “Shamelessness of Bangladesh Cricket Team: Tried to rob Kohli of a century by deliberately trying to bowl wides, the plan was foiled by Richard Kettleborough. Now TIMED OUT Angelo Matthews despite knowing that his helmet strap was broken and it could be dangerous playing without fixing it. What a pathetic bunch of losers this Bangladesh team has.”

Both sides have been knocked out of the race for a berth in the semifinal of the ICC showpiece event in India, and are playing for pride and to secure a top 7 spot which would guarantee them passage into the ICC Champions Trophy.