Angelo Mathews timed out and 10 other unusual World Cup dismissals

Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews reacts after being timed out during the match against Bangladesh in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. (Photo: ICC Twitter).

Against Bangladesh at Delhi, Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews reached the batting crease this week and realised that he needed a change of helmet. He called for a replacement without informing the umpires, and by the time he obtained one, Shakib Al Hasan had appealed.

As is known by now, Mathews became the first cricketer to be given timed out in the 146-year history of international cricket. However, his was far from being the first unusual dismissal in cricket World Cup history.

Fredericks’ fall, 1975

The first wicket to fall in a World Cup final was an unusual one. As the bouncer from Dennis Lillee came for his head, Roy Fredericks – batting in a white hat – hooked with equal ferocity, and the ball soared into the stands.

It would have been a six… had Fredericks’ boot not hit the stumps. Instead, he was given out hit wicket. Worse, the runs did not count either.

Greenidge shoulders arms, 1983

The dismissal an entire generation of Indian fans grew up on – and yet could never stop talking about.

Earlier that year, Sandhu had bowled Gordon Greenidge with an in-swinger in a Test match at Port of Spain. “I knew that he wasn’t picking up my in-swingers when I was bowling close to the stumps,” he would later tell me.

At the final, Sandhu kept bowling out-swingers to Desmond Haynes as Greenidge watched from the other end. Now, when the strike changed, Sandhu bowled from near the wicket, and Greenidge shouldered arms. The ball landed just outside off stump, hit the seam, jagged back, and bowled Greenidge.

Defending 184 in the 1983 World Cup final, India famously bowled out the West Indies for 140 to script history. It all began with this dismissal.

Azhar clings on, 1987

There was a time in his career when Mohammad Azharuddin used to bowl seam-up of reasonable quality.

Still only 22, the strapping Craig McDermott would end as the leading wicket-taker in the 1987 World Cup; and like many fast bowlers, he was also a very hard hitter.

When Azharuddin pitched the ball up, McDermott hit the ball with characteristic power back at the bowler. Had it not been for absurd reflexes, Azharuddin would probably have been decapitated.

He eventually held on with both hands and fell back on impact. When Bush ran a Great Catches Contest, the catch finished at second place.

Lara caught in the ‘nether regions’, 1996

Kenya stunning the West Indies was easily the story of the 1996 World Cup, but there was a story inside that great saga.

When Kennedy Otieno, Kenya’s main wicketkeeper, was injured, the big gloves went to Tariq Iqbal, a bespectacled man who wore “a blue headband and a double chin”, who dropped a catch and conceded three boundaries in the first three overs. So inept was he that even “his own bowlers were laughing at him”.

But when Brian Lara edged, the ball “sank somewhere into his [Tariq’s] nether regions and the gloves clutched desperately, trying to locate it.” Exactly how he held on remains a mystery, but he did send manage to get the biggest flesh in the Kenyan thorn.

Inzy doesn’t run, 1999

A vintage Inzamam-ul-Haq dismissal.

Damien Fleming bowled a yorker that hit Inzamam on the boot. Inzamam fell over and lost his bat, but somehow managed to end up outside the crease, next to the ball.

A lot of things happened over the next few seconds. Non-striker Wasim Akram made a dash, crossed Inzamam, and reached the striker’s end. Fleming, on the other hand, sprinted to get the ball, then ran back to dislodge the bails at the non-striker’s end.

While all this went on, Inzamam waited on his knees, and got up only after he had been ruled out. He then picked up the bat and began the long walk back towards the pavilion.

Donald’s run out, 1999

While more famous as the Inzamam run out and just as hilarious, the Allan Donald dismissal bore a sad tinge as well, for the resultant tie ended in South Africa getting knocked out.

South Africa, nine down, needed nine in the last over when Fleming came to bowl. Once Lance Klusener dispatched him for two boundaries, Steve Waugh brought the field in.

Klusener slammed the third ball to mid-wicket and declined the single. Donald, halfway down the pitch, turned back… and would have been run out had Darren Lehmann hit the stumps.

When Klusener biffed the next ball straight, Mark Waugh swooped down from mid-off and under-armed to Fleming. This time Klusener ran and Donald did not, and when Donald changed his mind, he dropped his bat.

By then, Fleming had rolled the ball along the ground to Adam Gilchrist, who whipped the bails off.

Munaf lends a hand, 2011

A near-encore of Azharuddin catch – but with a comical twist. The build-up was similar: Kevin Pietersen hit the ball back, and Munaf Patel held up both hands to protect his face and fell upon impact.

Yet, it was different, for Munaf had not held on. Instead, the ball went up vertically in the air before responding to gravity. As it descended, almost in slow motion, Munaf – seated peacefully on the ground – stuck his left hand out: the ball landed inside.

So surprised was Munaf that he even appealed for an obvious catch.

Amla booted, 2011

South Africa’s famous collapse in the quarter-final began with a bizarre dismissal. Hashim Amla cut Nathan McCullum but could only bottom-edge it. Behing the stumps, Nathan’s brother Brendon had no chance to catch the ball.

Yet, the ball did not hit the ground but the Brendon’s boot; then it lobbed to Daniel Vettori at first slip.

Archer bails Sarkar for six, 2019

Jofra Archer’s ball came at 143 kph, whooshed between Soumya Sarkar’s bat and pad, and brushed the off bail from its groove. It would have been a normal dismissal – but for what happened afterwards.

So steeply did the ball rise that even after knocking a bail off, it did not lose momentum. Instead, it landed beyond the boundary line straight behind wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Root rooted, 2023

Joe Root’s success with the reverse-scoop is well-known, and it was only a matter of time before he tried it against the Netherlands. There was little wrong with the choice of shot, off Logan van Beek… barring the fact that the ball kept low and aimed for the wicket between Root’s legs.

By the time Root realised this, he had already committed himself to the shot. As a last-ditch effort, he tried to close his legs – an effort that would have got him leg-before anyway – but failed even there, and the ball went on to hit the stumps.