IND vs SA: Flying insects stop play, players struggle to see amid swarm; netizens react

Be it a dog or a human, cricket pitches have seen a variety of invaders. In places like Sri Lanka, even a snake and a monitor lizard have made their way onto the field. So while it was not shocking, it was certainly amusing to see flying insects (called flying ants) interrupt play between India and South Africa. The third match of the four-match series at SuperSport Park in Centurion had to be abruptly halted after the insects began sticking to the players' clothes and bodies, even flying in front of their eyes.

ALSO READ | IND vs SA: Tilak Varma's maiden century steals the show; fans in awe of his brilliant batting

Arshdeep Singh, who bowled the first over, was struggling to shake them off. Even the South African batters saw flying ants enter their helmets and obstruct their vision. Hardik Pandya was preparing to bowl the second over when the umpires spoke to him and Suryakumar Yadav, then had a word with the South African openers and both teams walked off the field.

Play has been haulted due to a small pest problem😅

"Flying ants" are running amock at the stadium, so we will wait for them to disappear before resuming play.#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvIND

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 13, 2024

There were too many of them on the pitch as of writing this article and the groundsmen were seen using a super sopper to clear them off. 

Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) started trending "Insects stop play" as they found it funny to see the swarm of flying ants not allowing the teams to play their game.

First time I’ve seen play stopped because of flying ants #INDvSA #Cricket pic.twitter.com/XFFN2KgVwm

— The Drunken Copywriter (@G_S_Meredith) November 13, 2024

Play stop due to insect #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/vrMwmpHFAW

— The Mahafuzur Homeopathy (@themahafuzhomeo) November 13, 2024

I have seen this for the first time in my life.
Insects stop play!
#SAvsIND #tilakvarma pic.twitter.com/ay7l6hmAIG

— Shubham Jha (@ShubhamJha_) November 13, 2024

Insects stop play #ramandeepsingh #Sanjusamson #INDvSA #INDvsSA #SAvIND #SAvsIND #Rinkusingh #hardikpandya #abhishekpandya #Tilakvarma #Jigarsaraswat #Arshdeepsingh #aveshkhan pic.twitter.com/xKmcFxNtpM

— jigar saraswat (@jigar31) November 13, 2024

Play stopped at Centurion because of flying insects. 🤣🤣 #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/xUyvzDQ0AE

— Prem Mohanty 🏏⚽️ (@philipbkk) November 13, 2024

Before the delay, South Africa had scored 7 runs off the first over, with Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks at the crease. South Africa needs 213 runs to win this match.

In the first innings, Tilak Varma smashed a brilliant maiden century in just 51 balls. His knock included 6 sixes and 8 boundaries. Abhishek Sharma also played a stunning innings, scoring 50 off 24 balls, with 5 sixes and 3 fours.

At the toss, South Africa won and chose to field. India made one change, with Ramandeep Singh making his debut in place of Avesh Khan. India has secured 21 wins in 23 T20Is in 2024 and will look to seal the series with a win here.

IND vs SA teams:

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy

South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla

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