3 instances when cricket matches in 2019 were delayed/ interrupted / cancelled due to unusual circumstances

The game of cricket has been interrupted due to rain, bad light or wet outfield conditions on numerous occasions. The game has been interrupted due to hail stone, desert storms and snowfall too in the past. The said reasons are due to factors beyond the control of human beings and have become part and parcel of the life of every cricketer and at times play a huge influence of the outcome of the game.

Apart from these, there have been a few instances when the game of cricket has been delayed and the players have been forced to leave the field mid-way due to bizarre reasons.

The year 2019 has seen cricket matches being delayed/ interrupted/ cancelled due to unusual circumstances.

Here is a look at three such circumstances :

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#1. Snake invasion

The presence of a snake on the cricket field delayed the start of a Ranji Trophy match

The start of a Ranji Trophy match between Vidarbha in the ongoing season and Andhra was delayed due to the presence of a snake on the cricket field.

The toss in the game was won the by the Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal and he elected to field. Thereafter, when the Vidarbha players marched out on to the field and the play was about to start, a snake entered the cricket ground. The presence of the snake delayed the start of the match.

The ground staff were spotted chasing the snake away and after a point of time the game got underway. This incident took place at the Dr. GG ACA cricket stadium in Vijaywada on 9 December, 2019. The presence of a snake on the field on the opening day of the 2019-2020 Ranji Trophy season is one of the most bizarre reasons for interruption of the game of cricket.

SNAKE STOPS PLAY! There was a visitor on the field to delay the start of the match. Follow it live - https://t.co/MrXmWO1GFo#APvVID @paytm #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/1GptRSyUHq

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 9, 2019

#2. Sun delay

Sharp sunlight delayed the India New Zealand ODI for 30 minutes

The first ODI between India and New Zealand on 23 January 2019 was delayed for about 30 minutes after sharp sunlight forced players from both the teams to leave the ground.

The incident took place at McLean Park in Napier when India toured New Zealand for a limited overs series. At the time of the incident, the Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan was having some difficulty facing the Kiwi bowlers due to the sharp sunlight directly hitting his eyes.

Dhawan immediately informed the umpires about the difficulty about the sharp sunlight and the umpires stopped the game for dinner break. The match resumed post the break and India easily won the match by 8 wickets.

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#3.Missing DLS documents

Lack of DLS sheets caused the match to be abandoned

Another bizarre incident which led to a cancellation of a cricket match in 2019 was the lack of DLS documentation.

In the recently concluded Adu Dhabi T10 league, a group match between Deccan Gladiators and Team Abu Dhabi ended on a controversial note. After a rain interruption, the players from both teams came back on the cricket field. The match officials failed to start the game due to missing DLs calculations / print-out sheets.

Chasing 119, Deccan Gladiators were 25/1 in 2.4 overs when rain interrupted play. Thereafter there was some confusion regarding the DL score to be scored in 5 overs and the umpires did not come out in the middle and as the cut-off time was reached, the match was abandoned.

It is really surprising that in this day and age of technology a game of cricket was called off due to lack of DLS calculation/ print-out sheets.

T10 Match abandoned. No, not because of the rains, but because the organizers couldn't provide the teams with the DLS sheets. In short, match called off due to unavailability of printouts.

— Nikhil Rcb (@NVivartha) November 20, 2019