The third T20I between India and South Africa witnessed a rare moment as 'flying ants' crashed the party at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. The rare disturbance saw the play get suspended for almost 20 minutes, forcing the players to walk off the field. The incident occurred in the first over of South Africa's 221-run chase, causing disturbance to both batters and fielders.
The groundsmen eventually got rid of the insects by spraying pesticide with the help of drones in air, bringing some respite from the uninvited guests. The staff then cleared the playing area with the help of super soppers.
India's interim coach VVS Laxman was seen having a chat with the official during the forced break. The good news was that despite the disturbance no overs were lost.
This wasn't the first time an incident like this was experienced at the SuperSport Park. Ants had previously caused a similar disturbance during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy match between Australia and England.
Meanwhile, listed below are three other incidents when play was stopped due to insects (bees):
1) 2018/19 – India A vs England Lions in Thiruvananthapuram - halted due to a bee attack during the match.
2) 1979/80 – India vs Pakistan at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru - halted due to a bee attack.
3) 1999/00 – India vs South Africa at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru - halted due to a bee attack.
Snake stops IND vs SA T20I
Coincidentally this isn't the first time a T20I match was stopped between India and South Africa due to an external factor not concerning the weather. In a T20I encounter between the two nations in October 2022, which was played at Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium, a snake had brought a brief interruption in between proceedings. The reptile was spotted slithering in the playing area and was spotted near Wayne Parnell at the extra cover region. It then slithered into the square region before being removed by a groundsman, who captured it in a bucket. The reptile had then stopped the play for almost five minutes.
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