There are times when the rain plays spoilsport during a cricket match leaving the fans fuming and then there are matches where animals, birds and insects invade the field and make it an amusing affair for everyone. Till now we have seen bulls charging towards the Umpires, a dog out for a casual evening stroll in the middle of the match, a swarm of bees attacking the players or a bird unassumingly stopping the ball from hitting the boundary. Like it or not but these unexpected visitors turned intense crickets moments into hilarious (and sometimes dangerous) situations. Here are a few glorious examples.
1. When it became un’bee’arable for players-
The incident was from the third ODI earlier this year between South Africa and Sri Lanka. In the 25th over, a bee swarm stopped play at Johannesburg. The Sri Lankan batsmen and South African fielders had to lay down on the ground and wait for the bee swarm to pass. The players had a good laugh about it while Proteas wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock entertained the crowd with a few pushups.
2. When the fielder aimed for the bird-
This happened during a list A game in England. The batsman had worked the ball towards midwicket, the fielder threw the ball towards the wicketkeeper’s end but accidentally hit a flying bird on the way. The bird immediately fell down and the fielder had to carry the injured bird outside the boundary.
3. When a dog hogged the limelight during CSK vs MI match
The dog decided to take a stroll down the pitch during Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians fixture in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2009. While Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan were standing and watching the dog roam freely on the ground there were officials and players who were struggling to catch him and get the game back on track.
4. The dog takes a stroll once again
An England vs Sri Lanka ODI was interrupted by a dog. The Sri Lankan batsman moved away from his stance while bowler Mathew Hoggard pulled out from his runup and waited for the dog to leave the ground.
5. An Australian fan-pig grazes the grass
A spectator managed to sneak in a live pig at the Gabba, Australia. After a wicket in the Australia vs England match, the pig was let loose. The pig had ‘eddie’ and ‘beefy’ written on the two sides. There was also a rumour that the spectator convinced the guards that the pig would later become his lunch. A strange state of affairs! Though it became a laughing stock as the guard struggled to take the pig out of the ground.
6. When the dog raced towards the boundary
Once again a dog interrupted play between Pakistan and England. The players took rest in between while the dog ran all over the ground and then willingly crossed the boundary when the English fielder went chasing after him.
7. When the bird wanted a revenge from the ball
The incident happened during a Big Bash League (BBL) match between Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers. The batsman pulled the ball towards midwicket boundary, the ball hit a bird on its way. The fielder picked up the ailing bird and took it outside the boundary. Though what happened next stunned everyone. As the ball was played in the same direction, the bird came charging towards the ball as it may have felt that it was a living being. It did not stop there, the bird waited in anticipation that the ball would come its way.
8. When Rishabh Pant urged the dog to leave the field
The incident is from IPL 2016 during the match between Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and Delhi Daredevils (DD). It was followed by Morne Morkel who tried to lure him outside the boundary. The dog stayed on the cricket field for a while and continued to interrupt play.
9. When the bullock chased away the players off the field
This incident happened earlier this year during a village cricket match between Kerridge and Mosley under Cheshire Cricket League fixture. All of a sudden the cow came charging towards the players and almost hit the umpire on the hips. The angry bullock resulted in players leaving the field.
10. When the bird stopped a boundary
The batsman did not get the value for his shot as the ball went like a tracer bullet and brought down a bird flying around the pitch. The batsman had to settle for a couple of runs while the bird was seen in a rather angry mood later on.
Here’s the video of all the above incidents-
We can’t believe these happened for real!
