2-minute warning: Explaining the ‘Timed Out’ rule and other bizarre ways to get out in international cricket

Cricket is all about the tussle between the bat and the ball. The bowler’s only aim is to get the wicket of the batter, and hence the fielding team uses many ways to achieve their goal, either through skills like swing/seam/spin or through mind games. 

The condition of the pitch and the seam position also play a big role in dismissing a batter. With so much loaded against an individual, who has zero margin for error, the laws are written in favour of the batter.

When a pacer sends the stumps cartwheeling, there is no better sight to watch, bringing the spectators to raptures. Similarly, an acrobatic catch thrills the crowd. Overall, a good game always keeps the fans on the edge of their seats.

A batter can get out in 10 official ways. Of these, five are the most common: bowled, caught, leg-before wicket, stumped, and run out. The other five methods are less frequent and can include scenarios such as when the batter is not on strike or even before taking the strike.

Hit wicket, obstructing the fielder, which includes running in the direction of the throw to avoid being run out, handling the ball, and hitting the ball twice, are the other three ways to get out.

What is hitting the ball? Does the batter tapping the ball away from the stumps count as hitting the ball twice?

No. If the batter intends to hit the ball either to stop it from being caught or to hit it with the aim of scoring runs, it is counted as an offence and could result in being given out.

Manipur's Lamabam Singh is the latest to be dismissed for hitting the ball twice in the Ranji Trophy plate league match against Meghalaya in Surat in November. Lamabam watched the ball roll back toward the stumps following his defence and used his bat to block it again. 

But strangely, the batter was given out, and Lamabam didn’t even protest, even though he was well within the rules to stop it with the bat or body and not with his hands.

While there are many instances of hitting the ball in domestic cricket, Malta’s Fanyan Mughal was the first player to be given out at the international level, in the Continental Cup against Romania in August 2023.

The other not so not-so-common way is the Mankad. India’s Vinoo Mankad dismissed Australian Bill Brown twice during the 1947-48 tours. A bowler could dismiss the non-striker when he backs up too far to gain an unfair edge to sneak a run before the ball is even released. In the past, several cricketers questioned the sportsmanship of the bowler and called it Unfair Play, while the fielding team also felt the same. 

The International Cricket Council set the matter right in 2022, following changes ratified by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), clarified it as a legitimate mode of dismissal, removing ambiguity and ending debates about its "spirit of cricket" status.

In international cricket, former Indian skipper Kapil Dev dismissed South African Peter Kirsten, brother of World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten, after giving him a warning during the 1992-93 ODI series, while Sri Lankan Sachithra Senanayake dismissed Jost Buttler in a one-dayer in 2014. 

Subsequently, Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Buttler in a similar fashion in the IPL 2019 season. The only instance of the dismissal in women’s international cricket was when India’s Deepti Sharma dismissed English cricketer Charlie Dean to secure the ODI series win in 2022.

Even more bizarre is the timeout. Law 40.1.1 refers to a batter timed out, and reads: "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 three minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out."

However, the ICC's playing conditions for this World Cup read: "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 two minutes of the dismissal or retirement. If this requirement is not met, the incoming batter will be out, Timed out."

Former Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews had learnt it the hard way during the 2023 fifty-over World Cup against Bangladesh in Delhi.

The on-field rivalry between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh goes deep, and Mathews, who took time to walk up to the crease, found his helmet strap snap as he was tightening it. 

The all-rounder called for a replacement, and he was receiving it. Bangladesh skipper Sakhib Al Hasan appealed to umpire Marais Erasmus, and the decision was upheld, and the batter was given out, leaving Mathews baffled. This is the seventh instance a batter was timed out; however, the other six came in domestic cricket.

The ICC has been modifying the rules regarding the timing and has stricter measures in place to ensure that the matches don’t go well past the time, as it could impact the revenue of those associated with the events. The ICC subsequently changed the rule to two minutes in Tests and ODIs and 90 seconds in Twenty20 internationals. 

The Stop Clock rule was also introduced across all formats, and the fielding team has been allowed 60 seconds to be ready for the first ball of the next over. However, if the team fails to beat the stop clock, the umpires give two warnings, and a third offence will result in a 5-run penalty for the batting team.

While the new rules facilitate the smooth progress of the game, it is still the love of the game that drives millions of fans to the stadium and in front of the TV sets.