For real, cricket test matches love finding any minor excuse they can think of to halt play. Rain, light, wind, someone sitting funny in the crowd, you name it.
But there’s seldom been a stop in play that’s been more completely worth it than this one.
Play during the first day of the second test between England and host nation India was brought to a screeching halt by a four-legged pitch invader in the form of a rogue and very curious dog.
The stray pooch sauntered onto the field with India’s first innings score at 2 for 210 and proceeded to have an absolute sick time trotting around the very nice grass, playing games with the funny people who were chasing it, and even squatting down to pop out a big, glorious turd dead on deep cover point, perhaps marking the gaping hole in the field that captain Alastair Cook should bloody well be paying attention to.
Attempts to wrangle the Good Boy™ were so unsuccessful that the umpires decided to call an early tea break, rather than make players stand around doing nothing while a dog has the run of the place.
Both Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were stuck in the 90s when the interruption occurred, probably to the great relief of the English bowling attack.
Security officials at one point tried throwing a shoe at the dog in an attempt to do… y’know… something.
The dog was eventually corralled and removed from the field, allowing play to continue. No word on whether or not the pooch was gifted a ball for his big day out, and frankly if he wasn’t I absolutely do not want to know about it because ALL GOOD DOGS DESERVE A BALL.
India finished the day’s play on 4 for 317.
Source: ABC News.
