GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Why can a new batter be recorded Timed out without the bowler receiving a wicket?
Under the MCC default, after a wicket falls or a batter retires, the incoming batter must be ready to receive the ball—or the other batter must be ready to receive the next ball—within three minutes, unless Time has been called. If neither readiness condition is met, the incoming batter is out Timed out. Law 40.2 says the bowler does not get credit for that wicket.
For Cricket fans interpreting a Timed out dismissal in a scorecard · Updated
The three-minute test has two ways to be ready
Law 40.1.1 starts from a wicket or retirement. Unless Time has been called, within three minutes the incoming batter must be ready to receive the ball, or the other batter must be ready to receive the next ball. If the requirement is not met, the incoming batter is out Timed out.
The three minutes are the MCC default. Playing Conditions for a particular competition or format were not checked, so confirm those conditions before applying the interval to a named match.
The dismissal and bowler credit are separate outcomes
A Timed out dismissal removes the incoming batter under Law 40.1. Law 40.2 separately states that the bowler does not get credit for the wicket. The team wicket can therefore be recorded as Timed out without adding a bowler wicket.
A fictional innings with no call of Time
A wicket falls. No one calls Time, and for three minutes neither the incoming batter is ready to receive the ball nor the other batter is ready to receive the next ball. Under the MCC default, the incoming batter is out Timed out. The side has lost a wicket, but Law 40.2 gives the bowler no credit for it. This is a hypothetical example, not a real match or scorecard.
Related questions
Must the incoming batter alone be ready within three minutes?
No. Law 40.1.1 also allows the other batter to be ready to receive the next ball within the same period.
Does the bowler receive credit for a Timed out wicket?
No. Law 40.2 says the bowler does not get credit for the wicket.