The first match of the five ODI-series between India and New Zealand made news for something cricket fans are not used to. India’s chase was halted due to an unusual reason. After Ferguson fired a wide down the leg-side in the 11th over, opener Shikhar Dhawan complained of the sun’s rays causing discomfort, and leaving him unable to spot the ball. The umpires took the matter in consideration and asked the players to accompany them off the field. Play resumed half an hour later when the sun had set.

This was the first time in the history of cricket when players walked off the pitch due to excessive sunlight. However, this wasn’t the first time a cricket match was stopped for an amusing reason. Let’s take a look at a few others.

When bees attack

The third ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2008 was stopped for over an hour after a swarm of bees arrived on the field. Cricketers as well as the umpires were flat on the ground for quite a while to protect themselves from a possible bee attack. This wasn’t the first time bees had interrupted a game of cricket.

During a Test match between India and England at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, bees forced both Indian fielders and Australian batsmen to hit the ground for a while. Play wasn’t halted for long, but the players were seen having a difficult time with the bees.

The burnt toast panic

New South Wales were playing Queensland in the 2017-18 Sheffield Shield at Brisbane and play was brought to a halt when New South Wales were only 18 runs away from a win. The fire alarm in the stadium suddenly rang. Fire trucks quickly arrived at the venue to deal with the fire. Panic ran throughout the stadium as everyone thought the venue had caught fire. Little did they know that the alarm had been set off due to a burnt toast. And the culprit was none other than Nathan Lyon. He overdid his toast and the smoke caused the fire alarms to go off. Play was halted for around half an hour.

A car took a wrong turn

A Ranji trophy game between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in the 2017-2018 season was forced to pause when a drunk person drove a car onto the pitch while the game was on. He was caught by the match officials and handed over to the police. However, after giving his side of the story to the police, he was let off with a warning. Star players like Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant were a part of this match.

Later, the match referee allowed play to resume only after examining the pitch. The end of day's play was extended by 20 minutes to compensate for the time wasted.

The food delivery fiasco

This incident took place in an International game between Bangladesh and South Africa at Bloemfontein. The game marked the return of Test cricket in Bloemfontein, and also left behind a hilarious memory for cricket fans.

The start of the second session had to be delayed by 10 minutes after the delivery of Bangladesh’s halal lunch was delayed. Even the Bangladeshi journalists had to wait to get their share of food. Officials confirmed that the late delivery was not due to uncontrollable factors like traffic or parking, but because of a printing error on the menu. All the sessions were pushed forward by 10 minutes.

Total eclipse of the game

To celebrate the golden jubilee of the BCCI in 1980, a Test match between India and England was organised in Mumbai. Due to a solar eclipse, the match was brought forward to begin on the second day. This was done as the BCCI was concerned about spectators and any damage that the eclipse could cause their vision.

"It was an anti-climax," wrote Bob Willis. "The sky only slightly darkened mid-afternoon."