Like any other sport, cricket, too, is a tense game. Players try very hard to win the match for their team. This determination to win the match produces significant knocks, great spells of bowling, or great moments in fielding. But sometimes weird things happen on the field, bringing a smile to the face of the players and the spectators. Here are the Top 10 Bizarre Moments in International Cricket-
1. Red Card In Cricket
You might never have seen a red card given on the cricket field. But an instance in the first-ever men’s T20I match between Australia and New Zealand might amuse you. On the last ball of the match, New Zealand needed 44 to win. Australia’s Glenn McGrath mocked an underarm delivery, only to be jokingly shown a red card by the umpire, Billy Bowden.
2. Taijul Islam’s Hit Wicket
This happened in the 2nd Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2021 at Pallekele. Chasing Sri Lanka’s first-innings score of 493, the visitors were 251/9. On the last ball of the 83rd over bowled by Suranga Lakmal, batter Taijul Islam went too deep in the crease. In the process, his foot slipped out of his shoe and his shoe went on to dislodge the bails off the stumps.
3. No Target Known
In the 2nd T20I between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Napier in 2021, the 2nd innings had to be paused for a strange reason. Bangladesh, the chasing side, didn’t know the target they had to overhaul to win. The target was revised by the DLS method and the revised target wasn’t informed to the visiting side. Match referee Jeff Crowe stopped the match and informed the revised target to be 171 in 16 overs.
4. Dilshan Hits Himself
Sri Lanka was playing against Bangladesh in the 2008 Asia Cup in Karachi. Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful tried to slog Nuwan Kulasekara towards deep mid-wicket but missed. Wicketkeeper Tilakaratne Dilshan collected the ball, threw it in the air, and started appealing for a catch. After a few seconds, the ball popped on his head to teach him how gravity works.
5. Team Masseur Takes The Field
Australia masseur Grant Baldwin got a chance to make his international debut in the first-ever pink ball test. Australia hosted New Zealand in this test at Adelaide in 2015. Australian bowler Mitchell Starc suffered an injury and had to go off the field. James Pattinson was released to play a Sheffield Shield match. This forces Australia to field Baldwin as a substitute fielder.
6. Bee Invasion
You might have seen often some people invade the pitch to grab attention. It is the job of the security persons to prevent such invaders on the ground. But in a World Cup 2019 game between South Africa and Sri Lanka, the invaders had to be respected, because the invaders were the bees! The invasion forced all the players to lie flat on the ground for a moment.
7. Heartbreak For South Africa
The 1992 World Cup was South Africa’s first after ICC lifted the anti-apartheid ban on them in 1991. And with hard work, they made it into the semi-final. In the semi-final against England at Sydney, they needed 22 off 13 balls before the rain interrupted the play. When the play started again, the Proteas’ target was revised to 22 off 1 ball. This was nothing short of heartbreak if you were a South African fan.
8. Trevor Chappell’s Underarm Delivery
In the 3rd Final of the World Series Cup between Australia and New Zealand at Melbourne in 1981, New Zealand needed 6 off the last ball to tie the match. But Australian bowler Trevor Chappell, to prevent a six off the last ball, bowled an underarm delivery to the batter, Brian McKechnie. Back then, there was no such rule deeming it as an illegal ball.
9. Shoaib Malik And Saeed Ajmal Dropped Catch
In the 3rd ODI against West Indies in Abu Dhabi in 2008, Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik were involved in one of the funniest catches dropped ever. Chasing 274, Chris Gayle hit one ball straight up in the air. Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik converged and then left it for each other as the ball dropped in between them. Gayle went on to score 122. But Pakistan managed to win the match by 31 runs.
10. Anil Kumble And Sachin Tendulkar Running
In a test match against Bangladesh, India’s Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar made a comedy of errors while running. Tendulkar flicked Tapash Bhaisya on the leg side and Kumble and Tendulkar took a single. As they were looking for the second, a string of yes and no ended up in “absolute circus,” to quote commentator Alan Wilkins. Luckily, both Kumble and Tendulkar survived.
