Play stopped due to sun! Yes, this has happened in India vs New Zealand Napier ODI

One has heard about cricket matches being interrupted due to rain, bad light or wet outfield. However, in the first ODI in Napier between India and New Zealand, there was an interruption due to the sun. Yes, play was suspended in the Napier ODI due to bright sunshine, which was shining directly in the eyes of the batsmen. The incident occurred in the 11^th over of the Indian chase as Shikhar Dhawan failed to spot a ball that was bowled by Lockie Ferguson. The batsman had a chat with the umpires and the decision was made to suspend play until sunset.  

The problem is pretty unique in Napier. Most cricket grounds in the world are aligned in the North and South direction but here in McLean Park, the ground has an east-west orientation, posing problems to batsmen when the sun is setting. This is actually not the first time that a match in Napier has been affected due to the sun shining directly on to the eyes of the batsmen. It happened in a Super Smash Twenty20 fixture between Central Stags and Canterbury Kings. The two on-field batsmen went back to the pavilion and play resumed only after sun rays moved away. The whole game was completed without any interruptions.

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Speaking about the stoppage to the host broadcasters, the umpires said, "The setting sun is the eyes of the players and we need to think of the safety of the players as well as umpires. There was an awareness of it by the players < they didn't appeal>. The good news is we have an extra 30 minutes, so we should be back in 30 minutes and it will still be a 50-overs match." The mayor of Napier, Bill Dalton, said they were aware of the problem and they are committed to making Napier a world-class sporting outlet.

"We were very conscious that this would happen and had made a plan for it. The idea was to We are working through with a plan to sort this issue. We are absolutely committed to make this the biggest multi-use sports ground in New Zealand. After the problem we had with the moisture few years back, I had to speak a lot to the press than waiting before a match," Dalton said. The venue had faced an other extreme in 2017, when an ODI between Australia and New Zealand was washed out due to the ground not having proper drainage.

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— Mushfiqur Fan (@NaaginDance) January 19, 2019

There have been several weird stoppages to a cricket game in the past. With a swarm of bees stopping a game in Johannesburg between South Africa and Sri Lanka to a car running onto the pitch in a Ranji Trophy game in Palam, this incident adds to the list of cricket being stopped by elements other than rain or bad light.

New Zealand were bowled out for 157 with Kuldeep Yadav taking 4/39 and the hosts will require something special if they have to restrict this power-packed Indian cricket team.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Play was halted by sun in Napier during India's chase.
• New Zealand were bowled out for 157.
• The Super Smash game in Napier was also stopped due to sun.