"Had The Umpires...": MCC Issues Clarification On Angelo Mathews' 'Video Proof' Against Being Timed Out

A huge controversy erupted in the ongoing Cricket World Cup earlier this week as Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first batter in the 146-year history of international cricket to be timed out. Mathews arrived at the crease after the two-minute deadline, following Sadeera Samarawickrama's dismissal, due to an equipment malfunction. The former Sri Lanka captain was left fuming as he lashed out at the fourth umpire, and also labelled Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan's act as "disgraceful".

Mathews later shared a "video evidence" showing that he still had "5 more seconds", posting a screenshot of the exact time of Samarawickrama's dismissal and that of his arrival at the crease.

While Mathews alleged that the umpires made a mistake, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodians of the game, has shared a statement regarding the incident.

In a statement the MCC argued Mathews should have signalled to the umpires when his helmet strap broke, adding that the officials would have given him extra time to sort out his equipment.

"Had the umpires been informed of a significant, justifiable, equipment-related delay within the two-minute allowance, they could have treated it as a new type of delay (as they would when, for example, a bat breaks), possibly even calling Time, allowing for a resolution of that delay without the batter being at risk of being Timed out. However, it is important to note that both umpires determined the delay came after the two minutes had elapsed, and that Time had not been called before the appeal," Fox Sports Australia quoted MCC as saying in a statement.

"Having taken more than 90 seconds to get to the 30-yard circle, Mathews appeared to notice that he was short on time, jogging the