In a rare dismissal, Pakistan cricketer Saud Shakeel was timed out during the President’s Trophy final between the State Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Television in Rawalpindi.
Shakeel is the first Pakistani cricketer and seventh overall in first-class history to be removed in this manner.
Shakeel was scheduled to bat fifth for State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) against Pakistan Television (PTV) in the President’s Cup Grade 1 First-Class event. This episode emphasizes the persistent challenges with Pakistan cricket, which has been often criticized.
Following a sequence of wickets, Saud Shakeel, who was assigned to bat at No. 5, failed to reach the crease within the three-minute time limit. Amad Butt, the PTV team leader, immediately filed an appeal, which resulted in the umpires ruling in his favor, ESPNCricinfo report stated.
According to reports, Shakeel dozed asleep and missed his chance to bat on time. He now holds the unpleasant distinction of becoming the seventh player in first-class cricket history to be timed out, and the first from Pakistan.
The situation deteriorated when Mohammad Shahzad removed skipper Umar Amin and Fawad Alam in consecutive deliveries, leaving SBP in a bad position after starting their innings on 128-1.
The following batsman, Shakeel, took longer than allowed to reach the crease, which PTV took advantage of with a successful dismissal appeal.
According to MCC rule 40.1.1, after a batsman is out or retired hurt, the next batsman must be ready to face the ball within 3 minutes (180 seconds). If they fail to do so, they are declared out by the umpires as “timed out.”
