Swarm Of Bees Halts Play In West Indies Versus Sri Lanka 3rd ODI

West Indies took on Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI of the three-match series in Antigua on Sunday (March 14). The hosts were carrying an unassailable 2-0 lead into the fixture and hoped to gain further 10 points in the ICC Super League points table.

As it happened, West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first. Akeal Hosein (3/33) proved to be the stand-out bowler for the Calypso Kings as they left the Lankans precariously placed at 151/6. It seemed as if the West Indies will continue to dominate and set-up an easy victory for themselves.

Swarm of bees halted play in the 3rd ODI between West Indies and Sri Lanka.

However, Sri Lanka’s Ashen Bandara (55*) and Wanindu Hasaranga (80*) led a superb fightback with a seventh-wicket partnership of 133 runs and took the visitors to a fighting total of 274/6 in 50 overs.

Their efforts, however, were still not good enough for a Sri Lankan victory as West Indies reached the 275-run target with more than an over to spare and five wickets still intact. Darren Bravo (102*) shepherded the chase with a magnificent hundred, while Shai Hope (64) and skipper Kieron Pollard (53*) contributed fine half-centuries.

Swarm of bees interrupt play

A bizarre incident took place during the 3rd ODI on Sunday between West Indies and Sri Lanka. The match was halted for a few minutes because of a swarm of bees. The incident took place in the 38th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. As bees attacked the ground, players as well as the umpires were forced to go down with their faces in order to avoid any bee stings. It has always been an odd sight but is the best possible form of defence for the players against bees on an open field.

Bee attack in #WIvSri#INDvENGt20 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/KgA5as5myR

— Cricket Scorecards (@MittiDaPutla) March 14, 2021

This, of course, isn’t the first instance of bees stopping play on a cricket ground. Famously during the 2019 World Cup in the UK, a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka also came to a halt because of the swarm of bees.

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