The Rawalpindi City Traffic Police (CTP) took a creative approach to promote helmet safety following Sri Lankan batter Angelo Mathews’ unusual ‘timed out’ dismissal against Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup. In a tweet on social media, CTP issued a traffic awareness message, emphasizing the importance of wearing a ‘quality helmet’ for motorcyclists.
The message read, “Sorry, but a quality helmet can save you from being ‘timed out’. A helmet is not only necessary for a motorcyclist, but it is also mandatory,” highlighting the critical role helmets play in ensuring rider safety.
This unique awareness message was superimposed on an image of Mathews at the moment he made history as the first player ever to be timed out in international cricket due to a helmet malfunction.
CTP’s creative approach aimed to emphasize the significance of observing helmet safety regulations for all motorcyclists.
Angelo Mathews’ initial reaction to the standing umpire Marais Erasmus appeared light-hearted, as he seemingly believed Erasmus was making a jest. However, his expression quickly changed when the square-leg umpire Richard Illingworth joined the conversation with Erasmus to address the situation.
The Rawalpindi City Traffic Police’s (CTP) clever warning message got attention from cricket enthusiasts on social media platform X. One user took it a step further by humorously suggesting that in a ‘timed out’ situation, a motorcyclist could potentially resolve it with a 500 rupee note, provided the traffic warden wasn’t Bangladesh’s renowned star all-rounder, Shakib Ul Hasan.
The message was cleverly displayed on an image of Mathews in the midst of addressing his helmet issue during the World Cup match.
افسوس، مگر ایک معیاری ہیلمٹ، آپکو ٹائم آؤٹ ہونے سے بچا سکتا ہے۔
موٹرسائیکل سوار کیلئے ہیلمٹ ضروری ہی نہیں، لازمی بھی ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/T68evt2LJh— City Traffic Police, Rawalpindi (@ctprwp) November 8, 2023
During the match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, a significant incident occurred when Angelo Mathews, the former Sri Lankan captain, prepared to take his batting perspective but encountered a helmet strap malfunction.
Subsequently, Mathews requested a replacement helmet, resulting in a brief pause in the game.
It was during this interval that Bangladesh’s Shakib made an appeal to the umpires, who subsequently deemed Mathews “timed out.”
This decision was in accordance with ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup rule 40.1.1, which specifies that a new batsman must be prepared to face a delivery within two minutes of a wicket falling. In this case, Mathews was unable to meet this requirement due to the unexpected helmet issue.
