Play at Khettarama, Colombo, was halted for a quarter-hour on Sunday evening after a dense cloud of flying insects descended on the outfield and square. Umpires first stopped proceedings midway through the 28th over, but when the bugs kept circling the floodlights they ordered a full evacuation at 34 overs so ground staff could fumigate.
“It’s like batting inside a lampshade,” one television commentator muttered as anti-insect smoke drifted across the cameras. A lone groundsman in a gas mask walked the length of the surface with a fogging machine, covering almost every patch of grass before the players returned.
The nuisance had begun roughly 20 overs into India’s innings, just as the sun dropped behind the grandstand. Pakistan left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu was visibly irritated, motioning for spray around the popping crease. Captain Fatima Sana joined her, dabbing repellent on shirt sleeves and trouser pockets. Even so, the insects – believed to be winged termites attracted by the new LED lights – were back less than ten minutes after the restart. Off-spinner Rameen Shamim needed treatment when one flew straight into her right eye in the 38th over.
Ground authorities said later that the species “tends to rise after late-afternoon rain”, and Colombo had endured a sharp shower the previous day when Sri Lanka’s match against Australia was washed out. Though such interruptions are rare, they are not unprecedented. A similar swarm held up a Twenty20 international at the same venue in 2010, and several domestic fixtures at Galle have experienced shorter stoppages.
Former Sri Lanka coach Rumesh Ratnayake, speaking on local radio, offered simple context: “You can prepare for wet outfields and power cuts, but flying ants are harder – they only appear when humidity, breeze and floodlights line up perfectly.”
Once smoke cleared and player safety was deemed acceptable, the match resumed without further delay. Both sides kept their replacement allowances intact; no overs were lost. The incident, mildly quirky rather than dangerous, did underline how even the best-planned schedules in the sub-continent must accommodate nature’s sudden turns.
