6 traditional cricket rules ICC should look to change
There are certain rules of cricket which need to be changed as per the modern requirements of the game.
6. Timed out Rule
The Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh Match 38 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 saw the first of its kind ‘timed out’ dismissal in international cricket as Sri Lankan batter Angelo Mathews got the ignominy of being dismissed in such a manner against his name. Mathews failed to get ready to face the ball in the prescribed two-minute time period as per the playing conditions of the tournament. Hence, he was adjudged out following an appeal from Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan.
According to the MCC Laws, the incoming batter must be ready to face the ball within three minutes after the retiring or dismissal of the previous batter. However, the playing conditions of the ODI World Cup 2023, which supersedes the MCC laws, stated that the batter must be ready within two minutes to face the ball which Mathews failed to fulfil according to the fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock.
There was more twist in the tale as after the game, Mathews revealed that he had actually walked to the crease in the prescribed time period but a malfunctioned helmet forced him to ask for a change of his equipment. His request wasn’t considered by Shakib Al Hasan who didn’t withdraw his appeal forcing the umpire to adjudge him out.
The incident once again sparked the debate around the spirit of cricket as the safety of a batter is paramount while facing a delivery, especially after the tragic death of former Australia cricketer Philip Hughes. Hence, the law must be altered to provide some leeway to the batters in exceptional cases where they may require some more time to get ready in a rare case of an equipment malfunction.
Download Our App