5 unusual reasons which stopped play in a cricket match

There have been numerous instances where poor light or rain has stopped play in a cricket match. Sometimes, even rains have caused the games to be halted and played the next day if there is a reserve day. This happened with India twice in ICC and ACC events. Their 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand was played across two days. New Zealand completed their innings on the first day and India had to bat the next day as play was not possible due to rain after the Black Caps' innings. This didn’t bode well for India as they were routed by Kiwi pacers. In a recent Asia Cup 2023 match, India and Pakistan played a two-dayer in Colombo, with Men in Blue decimating Pakistan in a one-sided affair. There have been many more bizarre reasons why a match had to be stopped midway or abandoned completely. Here are 5 unusual reasons why stopped play in a cricket match: 5. Too much sunlight in New Zealand Sun light in Napier in 2019 interupted an ODI match Yes, you read it correctly. During the Napier ODI between New Zealand and India in 2019, too much sunlight was the reason behind the stoppage of play during India’s innings. McLean Park, the venue of this match, is known for this event quite frequently, due to its architecture. At the venue, the setting sun at around 7 PM, forms an awkward angle that directs sunlight straight into the batter’s eyes. The reason this happens at McLean Park is because of the east-west alignment of the pitches at the ground. Most cricket grounds have pitches running north to south. This makes it unsafe for the batter’s vision and dangerous to play cricket. Previously in 2017, a T20I between Bangladesh and New Zealand was held up because of the same issue. 4. Desert Storm in Sharjah during the India vs Australia match in 1998 Sachin Tendulkar On April 22, 1998, India and Australia clashed in one of the best ODI matches in Sharjah in the Coca-Cola Trophy tri-series. Electing to bat first, Australians put up an intimidating 284 for 7 in their 50 overs. Chasing 285, India lost Saurav Ganguly for 17 in the ninth over with the score at 38. Sachin Tendulkar and wicket-keeper batsman Nayan Mongia steadied the innings before Mongia was dismissed for 35 in the game's 22nd over. Then a 'Desert storm' caused the Indian innings to be disrupted for almost half an hour. The sand was so much that both Indian batters had to rush back into the pavilion to save themselves. India was 276 in 46 overs. Sachin Tendulkar played an all-time great knock of 141 taking India to a famous win and into the final. 3. Solar Eclipse during India vs England Test in 1980 Solar Eclipse India and England were playing a Test in Mumbai in February 1980 to celebrate the golden jubilee of the BCCI. This Test is also remembered as Ian Botham’s Test as he scored a century and picked 13 wickets as England thumped India by 10 wickets. The game had an odd rest day on what should have been the second day of the Test, rather than the fourth. The cause was a total solar eclipse scheduled to occur on February 16. The BCCI didn’t want the 50,000 spectators' eyes to be damaged by staring into the sun. The solar eclipse would be the country's first total eclipse of the twentieth century. A full Solar eclipse was observed in Southern parts of India while an 87% eclipse was observed in Mumbai. 2. Unplayable pitch causes India vs Sri Lanka ODI to be abandoned firoz shah kotla ban ind vs sl. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) India and Sri Lanka clashed in the 5th ODI of the series in 2009, at the Arun Jaitley (formerly- Feroz Shah Kotla) stadium, in Delhi. India had already won the series as they led 3-1. MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bowl first on a dicey pitch in Kotla. But the suspicions of something more sinister from the pitch came true when Sri Lanka batted. Sri Lanka batters were battered and bruised due to uneven bounce from a dangerous pitch in Delhi. Sri Lanka had reason to be happy that they got away with only two hits on the body that required attention on a Kotla pitch where the bounce - from similar lengths - changed from shin to shoulder in as few as three deliveries. As a result, the match was abandoned after 23.3 overs as the officials deemed that the pitch was “extremely variable bounce and too dangerous for further play." 1. Fog interrupts India vs New Zealand World Cup 2023 match in Dharamshala Fog The most recent instance of nature interrupting a cricket match came during the ODI World Cup 2023 match between India and New Zealand. This encounter was played at the HPCA stadium, in Dharamsala. New Zealand had batted first after losing the toss and posted 273 runs. They were fighting hard to defend the total, especially after Rohit Sharma’s quick 46 runs in powerplay gave India the advantage. However, with India at 100/2 in 15.2 overs, the match had to be halted for several minutes as dense fog settled in the playing area. The atmosphere turned hazy to the extent that the players on both sides were struggling to keep their eyes on the balls. In such circumstances, the umpires decided to pause the game until the situation improved. The match resumed shortly and saw India defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets with Virat Kohli shining with 95. Also check: Most runs in ODI World Cup 2023

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5 unusual reasons which stopped play in a cricket match

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