'A good helmet can protect you from being timed out' - Angelo Mathews inspires Delhi Police's creative campaign

In the 38th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Sri Lanka faced off against Bangladesh. Bangladesh emerged victorious in a closely contested match, clinching a three-wicket win. However, the standout moment of the game was when Angelo Mathews was dismissed for not taking guard in a timely manner. 

Mathews explained that his helmet's strap had broken, causing the delay. Nevertheless, the umpire deemed him out. This incident has sparked significant attention, with social media buzzing about it for the past day. Delhi Police has joined in on the viral trend surrounding this incident and posted a quirky message about it. Delhi police wrote, "A good helmet can protect you from being timed out."

Delhi Police consistently employs imaginative strategies to raise awareness about their initiatives and stress the significance of adhering to traffic regulations. Recently, their creative team ingeniously leveraged the trending 'Timed Out' incident from the ongoing Cricket World Cup to emphasize the crucial message of wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers.

Referring to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' annual accident report for 2022, it was revealed that 50,029 individuals lost their lives due to not wearing helmets. Among these, 71.3% were drivers (35,692), and 28.7% were pillion riders (14,337). The Delhi Police's official Twitter account shared a tweet featuring Sri Lankan cricketer Angelo Mathews with the caption, "Delhitees! we hope now you have understood the importance of a 'HELMET'."

Rare dismissal in the history of cricket

Following Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan's dismissal of Sadeera Samarawickrama in Sri Lanka's first innings, Angelo Mathews came to the crease but encountered a broken helmet strap. While he awaited a replacement, Shakib appealed, leading to Mathews being declared out. Now, what does the rule book say about such a scenario.

According to Rule 40.1.1, when a wicket falls, the incoming batter must be prepared to receive the ball or for the other batter to be ready for the next delivery within '2 minutes' of the dismissal unless the umpire calls 'time.' Failing to meet this condition may result in the incoming batter being declared out, 'timed out,' if the opposing team appeals.