An uninvited guest made an unexpected appearance during the one-off Test match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on February 3, Saturday.
In a bizarre incident, a monitor lizard entered the Sinhalese Sports Club in Columbo.
The play was briefly halted in the 47th over when the lizard crawled its way to enter the field by crossing the boundary line. The sight of the lizard entering the field had left the players as well as the umpires startled and that led to a brief halt in the play. During the 47th over, when Nijat Masood was bowling to veteran Angelo Mathews, the fielders along the boundary rope complained of break in concentration.
The creature was soon taken off the field and the match resumed. This is not the 1st time the game has been stopped like this. The cricketing world has witnessed many bizarre reasons leading to stoppage in play.
However, Kusal Mendis, who came in at No. 3 was dismissed at 10, leaving Sri Lanka at 148/3. Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal made sure the team not only crossed the 1st innings total of Afghanistan but also are on course to provide a hefty lead to the hosts. The duo formed a 200 plus run partnership and also notched up their respective hundreds. Sri Lanka are in a commanding position on Day 2 of the Test match.
Afghanistan, who played their 1st ever Test match against India in 2018, are still trying to find their feet in the longer format. Out of the 7 Tests that Afghanistan have played, they have managed victory in only 1 match so far against Zimbabwe.