Sri Lanka take extra precautions against elephant threat ahead of third ODI at Hambantota

What’s the story?

The return of international cricket to Hambantota will be marked by the presence of game wardens as Sri Lanka are doing everything they can to ensure that wild elephants don’t stray onto the pitch. The final three matches of the five-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will be held at the Hambantota stadium.

With the series level at 1-1 and the stadium situated next to an elephant sanctuary, a wildlife official told AFP that experts will be on hand to ensure elephants don’t take the spotlight away from the cricket that is being played. He also added that there is a potential threat to fans in the form of a herd of elephants about 240 kms south of Colombo.

“There had been a few instances when elephants broke through the fence and invaded the pitch at night,” said the official. “A jungle patch starts about 100 metres from the stadium and we are deploying 10 wardens to make sure that fans don’t stray into that area and provoke the elephants”.

In case you didn’t know...

The 35,000 capacity stadium was built in 2009 but has only hosted 17 ODIs. The very first match at the stadium was the third match of the ICC World Cup between Sri Lanka and Canada. Since then it has only hosted 16 more ODIs with the last one coming against Pakistan in June 2015. The remote location of the stadium coupled with it's high maintenance costs have meant that it hasn’t hosted a lot of matches but after a recent upgrade to the stadium, it will host the final three matches of the ongoing ODI series that is all square at 1-1.

The Details

Sri Lanka aren't new to games being disrupted by wildlife. Just last year, the third ODI between Sri Lanka and South Africa was stopped due to a swarm of bees with fire extinguishers and beekeepers. The Sri Lanka-England Test in Kandy in 2007/08 was also stopped for the same reason. Even at the venue, swarms of wasps have caused problems.

What’s next?

After Zimbabwe won the opening game at the Galle and created history by registering the first 300+ chase in an ODI in Sri Lanka, the hosts bounced back to win the second ODI at the same venue thanks to a hat-trick on debut Wanidu Hasaranga. With the series level at 1-1, all eyes will be on Hambantota.

Author’s Take

With the threat of elephants roaming around the ground, this certainly is a good move by Sri Lanka to ensure that the game goes on as scheduled. With the series at a knife edge, it will be a shame if elephants ruin Zimbabwe’s first tour of Sri Lanka.