Rains often stop cricket matches. Several important matches could not be played due to rain in many mega tournaments in the history of cricket.
Moreover, some bizarre reasons behind stoppages of play have surfaced over the years. Nature can surprise us with its tricks and when nature dictates terms, things come to a standstill.
Let’s have a look at some of the bizarre reasons when cricket matches were stopped.
Fog stopped match
The match between India vs New Zealand during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharmasala was halted for some minutes due to fog on Sunday as Visibility became an issue. The incident happened during India’s run chase.
With the likes of Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry bowling at around 145kph, it was tough for the Indian batters to bat in the middle. The players and the on-field umpires, Adrian Holdstock and Michael Gough, had a discussion before walking off the ground. However, much to the relief of the players and the fans, the match resumed soon.
Setting sun
The ODI match between India and New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier on January 23, 2019 was interrupted for a brief while due to sunlight. The players had to go off the ground for a brief period due to the disturbance caused by the setting sun. Indian southpaw Shikhar Dhawan complained to the umpires that the sun was falling on his face.
Excessive sunlight
A Test match between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester on July 30, 1995 was halted due to excessive sunlight. As per reports, sunlight reflected from a greenhouse and it struck the batters right on their eyes.
Swarm of bees
The World Cup match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at the Riverside Ground in Chester-Le-Street on June 28, 2019 was interrupted for a brief period as the players laid on the ground upside down after a swarm of bees appeared.