Timed out in cricket

Timed out in cricket is one of 10 different ways a batter can be given out in the game. However, it is one of the rarest and perhaps the most debated one among the lot.

While most of the other modes of dismissal like bowled, caught out and LBW require the batter to be on strike and certain ones like run out can even affect non-strikers, the timed out rule allows batters to be given out even before reaching the crease.

What is timed out in cricket

The timed out mode of dismissal in cricket happens when an incoming batter following the loss of a wicket or a player retiring hurt takes too long to make his way to the middle and is not at the crease within a stipulated amount of time to face the next delivery.

The laws of the game governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) state: “after the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball, or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within 3 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, timed out.”

However, there is a minor yet crucial distinction between the Laws of Cricket and the ICC Playing Conditions - which govern the international game - when it comes to the timed out mode of dismissal in cricket.

According to the ICC Playing Conditions, “After the fall of a wicket or the retirement of a batter, the incoming batter must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the ball or for the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within 2 minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, timed out.”

The key point of difference here is that unlike the Laws of Cricket which allow batters three minutes to make their way to the middle, ICC’s Playing Conditions reduce that time to two minutes with the sole objective of reducing unnecessary delays in the game.

Furthermore, the time limit for this mode of dismissal is reduced even further to 90 seconds in T20Is owing to the fast-paced nature of the format. The limit stays at two minutes for Tests and ODIs.

Batters who are dismissed after being timed out go into the record books with a diamond duck to their name since they have to make their way back to the pavilion without facing a single ball.

Timed out dismissals in cricket

The first player to ever be dismissed timed out in the history of international cricket was Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews.

The incident took place during a Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh 2023 ODI World Cup group stage match following the dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama in the 25th over.

While Mathews had initially made his way to the crease in time, he paused for a change in the helmet after it had come to his attention that its chin strap had broken.

This further delay by Mathews in facing a bowler prompted the Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan to appeal for a timed out dismissal to the umpire.

The umpire obliged as Bangladesh picked up another wicket despite Mathews’ and the Sri Lankan team’s protests.

Ghana’s Godfred Bakiweyem was the second player to be timed out in international cricket during a Group B T20 encounter at the Africa Cricket Association Cup in December 2023.

This was also the first instance of a timed out dismissal in T20 internationals.

Chasing a target of 112 against Sierra Leone, Godfred Bakiweyem was Ghana’s sixth wicket to fall after he was timed out. Ghana still went on to win the match by two wickets.

There has been no instance of timed out dismissals in Test cricket yet.

List of timed out dismissals in international cricket

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