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Scott Bailey

Mathews joins long list of bizarre cricket dismissals

A furious Angelo Mathews can seek comfort from greats including Steve Waugh, Desmond Haynes, Len Hutton and Ben Stokes after joining the star-studded group as victims of cricket's most bizarre dismissals.

Still seething after Sri Lanka's three-wicket loss to Bangladesh on Monday, an angry Mathews hit out after being timed out in the World Cup group match.

After remonstrating with umpires and Bangladesh players on the field, Mathews was given his marching orders after a broken helmet strap prevented him facing up within two minutes of the previous dismissal.

Mathews' dismissal was the first timed out in the history of international cricket, ensuring every mode of dismissal available has now been ticked off.

The decision caps a busy year for cricket trainspotters, after Malta batsman Fanyan Mughal was given out for hitting the ball twice in a Twenty20 international against Romania in August.

It took 74 years of international cricket for a dismissal to occur beyond the conventional six modes, when England great Hutton was out obstructing the field against South Africa in 1951.

Hutton had attempted to push a ball away from the stumps after it had taken his glove, but was ruled to have obstructed South Africa wicketkeeper Russell Endean from taking a catch.

It wasn't Endean's final brush with bizarre dismissals; six years later he earned the 'honour' of becoming the first man out handled the ball, after using his glove to direct a delivery away from the stumps.

Graham Gooch in the 1993 Ashes, West Indies legend Haynes and Waugh are among others to fall in similar fashion.

Waugh's dismissal turned the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Australia's bid to win a series in India, when the tourists lost 7-51 following his dismissal in the third and deciding Test.

While Waugh walked and copped that call on the chin, other outs have not been so well received.

Ben Stokes walks after being out obstructing the field v Australia.
England's Ben Stokes walks after being given out obstructing the field against Australia in 2015.

Long before the Jonny Bairstow stumping furore at Lord's this year, Stokes was out obstructing the field at the same ground against Australia in a one-day international in 2015.

England were fuming when Stokes was ruled to have deliberately batted away a return throw from bowler Mitchell Starc while out of his crease.

In other instances, the removal of batters has been more considered.

Sri Lanka opted to retire Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene on 201 and 151 respectively in a Test against Bangladesh in 2001, to give other players a hit.

Atapattu later admitted regretting the decision, a feeling Mathews hopes Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will one day replicate after deciding to proceed with Monday night's appeal.

"It's disgraceful from Shakib and Bangladesh," Mathews said. 

"If they want to play cricket like that, stooped down to that level, there's something drastically wrong."

CRICKET'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL DISMISSALS

Bowled - Nat Thompson (Australia), 1877

Caught - Tom Horan (Australia), 1877

Run out - Dave Gregory (Australia), 1877

LBW - George Ulyett (England), 1877

Stumped - Alfred Shaw (England), 1877

Hit wicket - George Bonnor (Australia), 1884

Obstructing the field - Len Hutton (England), 1951

Handled the ball - Russell Endean (South Africa), 1957

Retired out - Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka), 2001

Hit the ball twice - Fanyan Mughal (Malta), 2023

Timed out - Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka), 2023 

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