Swarm of Bees Blanket Cricket World Cup, Match Gets Delayed

There are a lot of reasons for a delay of game when it comes to sports, but this is definitely a [...]

By Caitlyn Hitt

There are a lot of reasons for a delay of game when it comes to sports, but this is definitely a new one. The Cricket World Cup was delayed on Friday when a swarm of bees invaded the field.

The frightening scene unfolded during the South Africa vs. Sri Lanka match at Chester-le-Street in England, TMZ reported. All players on the field were forced to vacate the field to avoid suffering any stings.

Bees took to the field in the middle of the match, meaning players had to wait out the swarm before returning to the intense game. Groundskeepers stepped in to clear the swarm from the field using fire extinguishers. Once all the bees were gone, the match was back on.

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(Photo: Clive Mason/Getty)

Fans weren't affected by the swarm, but did get to look on at the extra bit of amusement while players and umpires took cover. It's unclear if anyone was stung as a result of the bees' presence.

After the chaos, Twitter was flooded with reactions to the incident. Some fans questioned the players' method for taking cover, while others just had a laugh about the whole ordeal.

In the end, the match resumed and South Africa narrowly edged out Sri Lanka. The nation won by 9 wickets, according to the BBC. Per the outlet, if Sri Lanka hopes to stay in the World Cup and have a shot at winning, they'll have to win both their remaining matches. One of those matches will see Sri Lanka face off against India, who are undefeated.

Despite winning the match, South Africa has been eliminated from the Cricket World Cup. Their victory against Sri Lanka was only their second in the event.

Sri Lanka is two points behind England, currently seated in fourth place, according to the BBC. They'll need to win both their next matches if they hope to overtake the British in the standings. England, meanwhile, will have to beat Pakistan and Bangladesh — currently their biggest threats — to maintain their position in the top four.

England will face off against Afghanistan in a matchup on Saturday. It's anyone's guess who will win, but the English are surely hoping to emerge victoriously.

Australia is currently holding on to the top spot in the Cricket World Cup with India and New Zealand in second and third place respectively. The margins between the top teams are small, meaning it would be easy for another team to mix things up with a few victories.

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