On November 6, veteran Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first cricketer to be dismissed timed out in ODI cricket. Although the mode of dismissal has created a lot of buzz in the cricketing circles, ‘timed out’ is one of the 10 ways in which a batter can be adjudged out according to the laws established by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
While bowled, leg before the wicket (LBW), caught, run out, stumped and hit wicket remain the most common ways of being ruled out, there are four more legal ways of dismissals — including timed out — in the game of cricket. For any mode of dismissal, however, including the most common ones, an appeal from the fielding side is a must.
Here are the other four lesser known modes of dismissals in cricket:
1. Obstructing the field
If a batter deliberately creates hindrance in the way of a fielder taking a catch or attempting a runout, she/he can be adjudged out. Former Pakistan captain Inazamam ul-Haq was once given out in a match against India after he blocked a throw from Suresh Raina in 2006.
2. Hitting the ball twice
If a batter hits one ball twice deliberately, and the purpose of hitting the ball is not to stop it from rolling onto the stumps, she/he will be given out. Rule 34.1.1 of the MCC states: “The striker is out Hit the ball twice if, while the ball is in play, it strikes any part of his/her person or is struck by his/her bat and, before the ball has been touched by a fielder, the striker wilfully strikes it again with his/her bat or person, other than a hand not holding the bat, except for the sole purpose of guarding his/her wicket.” Rule 34.3, however, makes it lawful for the batter to hit the ball twice to save his wicket: “The striker may, solely to guard his/her wicket and before the ball has been touched by a fielder, lawfully strike the ball a second or subsequent time with the bat, or with any part of his/her person other than a hand not holding the bat.”
3. Timed out
After a wicket falls, a new batter — as per the MCC rules — gets 120 seconds (2 minutes) to take guard for the next ball. In case she/he fails to take strike for the next ball within this stipulated time, she/he can be adjudged out.
4. Mankading
Off late, Mankading has been a topic of discussion among the pundits as well as fans and this mode of dismissal has divided opinions across the cricketing fraternity. Mankading is a mode of dismissal in which the non-striker is dismissed in case he attempts to take off for a run before the bowler’s front foot has landed for the delivery. The name is derived from the great Indian all-rounder Vinoo Mankad, who famously ran out Australia’s Bill Brown in this fashion in the Sydney Test in 1947. Law 38.3, which pertains to the “Non-striker leaving his/her ground early,” states: “At any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be Run out if he/she is out of his/her ground.”
Earlier, there were 11 modes of dismissals, with ‘handling the ball’, in which a batter would be given out for deliberately using her/his hand(s) to stop the ball from deflecting onto her/his stumps. In 2017, ‘handling the bowl’ was merged with ‘obstructing the field’ when the laws governing cricket were rewritten.
