Nikolaas Davin became the first player to retire out in a World Cup match during the 34th fixture of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup between Namibia and England at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. Davin retired out at the end of the sixth over as Namibia felt that they needed to replace him with someone who could inject some momentum into their run chase.
Chasing 126 to win off 10 overs, Namibia needed to put their foot on the accelerator right from the get-go but England's bowling attack never really let that happen. Davin opened the innings alongside Michael van Lingen and tried to play the role of an enforcer but England's new-ball bowlers Reece Topley, Sam Curran and Jofra Archer tied him down.
Davin's innings came to a halt after he scored 18* off 16 balls with the help of a boundary and a maximum. He was replaced by David Wiese at the crease and the veteran justified the move made by the team management as he smashed a 12-ball 27 studded with two fours and as many sixes.
However, Wiese's knock never really pushed England to the brink as he got limited support from the other end.
What does the law on 'retire out' suggest?
The MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) has a defined set of laws pertaining to a batter retiring out. Article 25.4.2 of MCC's laws suggests that "If a batter retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause, that batter is entitled to resume his/her innings."
"If a batter retires for any reason other than as in 25.4.2, the innings of that batter may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain. If for any reason his/her innings is not resumed, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired - out’," the law further suggests.
