The India vs Pakistan game in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 came to a halt towards the end of the 28th due to a bizarre reason. A small break was forced to be taken after both the batters and bowlers were bothered by flies on the field. Yes, you read that right! From Harleen Deol to Nashra Sandhu, players from both sides were visibly frustrated with the swarm of flies that invaded the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo.
Flies trouble India, Pakistan in Colombo
The trouble from the flies began a little after the 20th over when Harmanpreet Kaur and Harleen Deol were batting out in the middle. It peaked in the 28th over when Sandhu was forced to drive the flies away using a towel as they frequently interrupted her bowling. Prior to the last ball of the over, the players had enough and went to the umpires seeking help.
A Pakistan substitute then came running into the field with a spray which Fatima Sana then used to try and drive the insects away. However, that too failed as the swarm of flies continued to distract the bowlers and Jemimah Rodrigues. Just a few overs later, play was stopped in order to allow the ground staff to spray a bug repellent.
Pakistan won the toss, in a controversial manner, and decided to field first. Following the tradition from the Asia Cup 2025, both captains didn’t shake hands following the toss. Smriti Mandhana’s (23) poor outing in the WC continued as she was dismissed within the powerplay. Her opening partner Pratika Rawal (31) was the next to depart in the 15th over. Captain Kaur’s (19) stay in the middle too did not last for long as she was the third batter to depart amid the trouble from the flies.
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