Pindi traffic police issue road safety warning out of Mathews' helmet glitch

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews reacts after he was timed out during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match against Bangladesh on November 6, 2023. — AFP

The Rawalpindi Traffic Police on Wednesday issued a helmet warning for the motorcyclists, making the most out of the historic moment in cricket when Angelo Mathews was dismissed via "timed out" in a World Cup match.

The former Sri Lankan captain became the first-ever cricketer to be timed out for falling short of time due to a headgear glitch that occured right after he came out to bat in match against Bangladesh

Swiftly benefiting from the case, Pindi traffic police made a creative warning for the motorcyclists to always use a good quality helmet to stay safe in any untoward situation.

"Sorry, but a good helmet can save you from being timed out. A helmet is not only necessary for a motorcyclist, it is also mandatory," the awareness message shared by Rawalpindi Traffic Police read.

The message was written on Mathews' picture while tackling his helmet in the World Cup match.

What happened during the Sri Lanka versus Bangladesh match was that Mathews was ready to take strike when the strap of his helmet broke.

The former Sri Lanka captain called for a new helmet and while that wait ensued, Shakib appealed with the umpires consequently ruling the batter timed out.

This is because of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup rule 40.1.1 which says when a batter is dismissed, the newcomer should be ready to face a ball within two minutes of the fall of a wicket but Mathews failed to ensure that due to the helmet glitch.