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.
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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.
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.
Is lying down ‘a thing’ when bees are bothering you? #cricket #bees #SLvsSA #CricketWorldCup pic.twitter.com/U5JrfY3hOf
— Michael (@BlueMerleBill) June 28, 2019
How-zzzz-at!: Swarm of BEES stop play in the Cricket World Cup as South Africa and Sri Lanka players are forced to hit the deck to avoid being stung in Durham. #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/wiGgxbMWJ8
— md shohag (@mdshoha73604243) June 28, 2019
Whoatttt!!!😳😂😂
— Farah Jaffar (@FarahGojali) June 28, 2019
After Rain “Bees” are also successful to interrupt cricket World Cup 🐝🐝🐝
#SLvSA #CWC2019 pic.twitter.com/SG86DZMcgi
Cricket Knockout gas???? No, just a Swarm of bees interrupting play during the Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. All the players and umpires had to drop to the floor. I’d be like this guy, I’d have to look up to see the spectacle! (thanks u/wrdb2007) pic.twitter.com/cdwodUvDwW
— Lee Trott (@MC372) June 28, 2019
Bees two nations have a history!#SLvSA | #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/rEY9T7yhUD
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 28, 2019
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.
