Timed out is a dismissal for an incoming batter who is not ready for the next delivery within the permitted time after a wicket or retirement. Under the ICC men's playing conditions effective from October 2026, the allowance is two minutes in Tests and ODIs, but one minute 30 seconds in T20Is. Reaching the pitch alone is not the readiness test.
Clause 40 provides the dismissal and expressly says the bowler receives no credit for the wicket. The general appeal provisions also matter. A timer on a television graphic can help explain an incident, but it is the umpires applying the relevant conditions who decide whether a valid appeal succeeds.
| Men's international format | Incoming batter's allowance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Test | Two minutes | Clause 40.1.1 |
| ODI | Two minutes | Clause 40.1.1 |
| T20I | One minute 30 seconds | Clause 40.1.1 |
When does the timed out clock start?
The trigger in clause 40 is the dismissal or retirement of a batter. The incoming player must, unless Time has been called, be ready to receive the next ball, or have the other batter ready to receive it, within the specified allowance. The period is not described as beginning only when the replacement player leaves the boundary.
That distinction answers a common misunderstanding. Walking quickly to the middle does not by itself establish readiness. A player who reaches the crease but is still preparing may not have satisfied the requirement. Equally, the wording does not insist that the incoming batter personally faces the next delivery: it expressly allows for the other batter to be ready.
Consider an invented timing example in a men's ODI. If a wicket falls at 2:00 pm and Time has not been called, the relevant two-minute period runs from that dismissal. Starting the walk at 2:01 pm does not create a new two-minute allowance. This is an illustration of the trigger, not a claim about any real dismissal or a substitute for an umpire's timing.
Is timed out two minutes or three minutes?
For the men's international formats covered here, the answer comes from the current ICC documents, not a remembered rule from another competition. The October 2026 Test conditions and ODI conditions both specify two minutes. The T20I conditions specify 90 seconds.
The T20I text adds that an incoming batter is expected to be ready to make his way to the wicket immediately when a wicket falls, and that dugouts shall be provided. That additional instruction does not replace the 90-second readiness limit. It explains how the format expects the changeover to be organised.
These documents were checked on 12 November 2026. The ICC playing conditions directory identifies the applicable editions. For a domestic league, junior competition or another international category, read that competition's own conditions before applying the men's international figures automatically.
Does the fielding team need to appeal?
Clause 31.1 says an umpire must not give a batter out without a fielder's appeal, while also allowing a batter who is out under the conditions to leave without one. Clause 31.3 sets the timing requirements for a valid appeal. These provisions are part of the dismissal framework, rather than an optional courtesy between captains.
The captain may withdraw an appeal only with the consent of the umpire whose jurisdiction it falls within. Clause 31.8 also limits when withdrawal can occur: before the ball next comes into play, or, if the innings has ended, before the umpires leave the field. A captain's comment alone should not be reported as having automatically reversed a decision.
Clause 40 also addresses an extended delay in which no batter comes to the wicket. It directs the umpires to the match-awarding procedure in clause 16.2 and defines the starting point by reference to the expiry of the relevant allowance. That is a separate escalation provision, not an extra period granted to every incoming player.
To assess a disputed incident, establish the format, the applicable edition, the dismissal or retirement time, whether Time was called and what the umpires decided about readiness. Avoid deciding the case from a short clip that omits the start of the interval. The conditions establish the test; incomplete footage may not establish all the facts.
Our related guides explain retired hurt and retired out, dead ball and DRS limits. Read each dismissal or interruption under its own clause rather than assuming every pause follows the same procedure.
