Timed out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It occurs when an incoming batter is not ready to play within a given amount of time of the previous batter being either dismissed or retired.[1][2] This is one case of a 'diamond' or 'platinum' duck, as the player is out without having faced a ball. The first and so far the only batter in international cricket to be dismissed by this method is Angelo Mathews, playing against Bangladesh in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. The purpose of the law is to ensure there are no unnecessary delays to the game. It is easily avoided, and it is very unusual for a batter to get out 'timed out'. As of December 2023[update], there have been no instances of this type of dismissal in Test cricket, a single instance in one day international cricket,[3][4] and six instances in first-class cricket as a whole. The first batter in Twenty20 International cricket to be dismissed by this method is Godfred Bakiweyem against Sierra Leone in the 2023 Africa Cricket Association Africa T20 Cup.[5]
Background
"Timed Out" as a specific method of dismissal was added to the Laws in the 1980 code.[6] It provided two minutes for the incoming batter to "step on to the field of play". In the 2000 code, this was revised to three minutes for the batter to "be in position to take guard or for his partner to be ready to receive the next ball".[7] However, the first printed Laws of cricket, in 1775, already required the umpires "To allow Two Minutes for each Man to come in when one is out".[8]
In 1919, Sussex cricketer Harold Heygate was given out by the umpire Alfred Street as "timed out" in a first-class County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton. MCC, then in charge of the Laws, later ruled that the umpire was correct in ending the Sussex innings when Heygate failed to appear within two minutes, but that the batter should be marked as "absent", which is how it appears in the 1920 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Under present rules, Heygate would have been recorded as "absent hurt", and this is how his innings is now recorded in CricketArchive. The match ended in a tie.[9]
Current Law
Law 40 of the Laws of Cricket provides that an incoming batter must be in position to receive the ball or for their partner to be ready to receive the next ball within a given amount of time of the fall of the previous wicket or the previous batsman retiring. If not, the incoming batter will be given out, timed out, on appeal.[10]
The amount of time given for the incoming batter to be ready varies depending on the match playing conditions. The default period of time defined in Law 40 is 3 minutes,[10] but this is amended to 2 minutes for Test cricket and one day international cricket.[11][12]Twenty20 cricket shortens the period of time even further to 90 seconds, and an on-field dugout is often provided in this format (in a similar manner to some other team sports such as association football and rugby) to enable incoming batters to make their way to the wicket immediately when a wicket falls to avoid being timed out.[13] The umpires cannot rule on any appeal for timed out until someone takes the field of play.
The "incoming batter" may be any batter who has not yet batted. There is no prescribed batting order in cricket, i.e. the team does not have to come out to bat in any specific order even if one has been published. Until one batter has set foot on the field the batting captain may pick any player who has not yet batted who, when they appear on the field, may then be given out on appeal.[14] Knowing that a better batter will shortly be able to take the field, the captain can therefore sacrifice onto the field
their worst remaining batter (colloquially the "No. 11") or one who is present injured, even one who previously retired hurt.
Whether or not an appeal for timed out is made, if the delay in which no batter comes to the wicket extends beyond the prescribed minutes, an "extended delay" is judged and the umpires follow the procedure in Law 16.3 with a view to award the match to the opposing team. [10] They will discuss the situation together, make contact with the Captain of the team who are refusing to play and can award the game to the bowling side.[15]
If no remaining not out players are able to take the field (e.g. through absence, injury or illness, or suspension or ejection as a result of a players' conduct offence) then none is given out timed out; instead the innings is to be considered as completed and "absent ill/injured/hurt" (or retired in the event of a players' conduct offence) is noted next to all remaining players' names as appropriate.[16][17]
Dismissals
Test cricket matches
No batter has been dismissed timed out in Test cricket as of November 2023, but there are some notable incidents where a batter could have potentially been dismissed in this manner:
During the third Test at Cape Town'sNewlands Cricket Ground of the 2006–2007 series between India and South Africa, India quickly lost two opening batters at the start of their second innings. Sachin Tendulkar was listed as the fourth batter, but as he had been replaced as a fielder for 18 minutes at the end of South Africa's first innings, he was ineligible to bat in India's second innings until another 18 minutes had expired from its commencement. After confusion in the Indian dressing room about Tendulkar's ineligibility resulting in a six-minute delay, Sourav Ganguly came in as the next batter. South African captain Graeme Smith did not appeal for a "timed out" dismissal of the incoming batter as the Umpires had told him it would not be entertained due to confusing information given by the match referee regarding Tendulkar's short suspension, and Ganguly was allowed to commence his innings.[18]
During the second Test in the 2023 Ashes series, Australian player Nathan Lyon suffered a severe calf injury while fielding that prevented him from moving at a normal pace. During the Australian second innings he decided to take his place as the final batter and to avoid the potential for England to appeal and have him dismissed by a time out, Lyon moved closer to the field than the Australian players pavilion so he could hobble onto the ground within the time limit. He avoided being timed out and went on to score 4 runs with his batting partner adding 11 before Lyon was dismissed.
One Day International (ODI) matches
The only player in any form of international cricket to be dismissed by being timed out is Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews in a group stage match against Bangladesh during the 2023 Cricket World Cup in Delhi on 6th November. During this match, Mathews was adjudged to have been timed out after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed and indicated Mathews had arrived late to the crease since the fall of the last wicket of previous batter Sadeera Samarawickrama. The incident unfolded during the 25th over of the Sri Lankan batting innings.[19][20] The appeal caused confusion on the field with Mathews and Shakib caught on the camera in a heated exchange over the timed out debate.[21] Mathews tried to convince both Shakib and on field umpires that he arrived to the crease a bit late due to his helmet strap breaking. Mathews had tightened his helmet which caused the chin strap to break. He then sought a replacement helmet, causing him to not be ready to face the first ball within the time limit.[22] Shakib refused to withdraw the appeal and Mathews even showed his dissent towards the decision of on field umpires Richard Illingworth and Marais Erasmus.[23] Shakib complained that Mathews was not ready to face his first delivery within the two minutes as per the competition rules. It was later reported that the two minutes time limit had already elapsed before the helmet strap was broken.[24] This occurred when there was an issue with Mathews' helmet strap after he came onto the pitch, and the time he took waiting for a replacement meant he was in violation of law 40.1.1 that "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".[25] However, the ICC tournament condition which during ICC-sanctioned tournament rules supersede the MCC laws that state the new batter must face their first ball within 2 minutes of the previous batter being dismissed rather than 3.[26] The Bangladesh team decided to uphold their appeal for timed out, and so Mathews was forced to leave the field. Thus, Mathews became the first player in any international cricket match to be dismissed without taking part in a delivery.[27][28]
First-class cricket
Andrew Jordaan – Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987–88[29] – Not out overnight, Jordaan was prevented from reaching the ground by flooded roads the following day.
Hemulal Yadav – Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997–98 – Yadav was in conversation with his team manager on the boundary and did not attempt to reach the crease.
Vasbert Drakes – Border v Free State at East London in 2002 – Drakes was still on his way to the match by aeroplane from his native West Indies when he was due to bat.
AJ Harris – Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003 – Harris was suffering from a groin strain and took too long to walk to the crease and was given out on appeal.
Ryan Austin – Combined Campuses and Colleges v Windward Islands at Kingstown, St Vincent in 2013–14 – Austin, the number 11 batter, failed to reach the crease in the requisite amount of time.
^This match was only recognised by Wisden as a first-class match in 2006, when matches played by non-white South Africans in the apartheid era were included in the record. Hence earlier lists do not contain this instance. See Setting the records straight, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2006
