It was bright and sunny but play was stopped immediately after the dinner break during the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday. In a bizarre turn of events, players walked off the field immediately after the dinner break because the sunlight was too sharp.
India had bowled New Zealand out for 157 thanks to Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami earlier in the day. India began their reply immediately before the dinner break was taken with India on 41 for no loss.
After the break, Doug Bracewell struck in his first over to remove Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli walked out and faced four balls before the players walked off the field.
Usually, grounds have the playing surface facing North-South, but McLean Park has it facing East-West. Hence, this issue of shadows created by the setting sun.
The crowd was obviously not happy. Rain has often stopped play. Bad light has stopped play in the past. Fog has played spoilsport but sharp sunlight? That was a first even for umpires Shaun Haig and Shaun George who were officiating the first ODI in Napier.
"The setting sun is directly in the eyes of the batsmen. So we got to consider the safety of the players, umpires. So we have decided to suspend play until conditions improve," umpire Haug said.
"This is the first time in my 14 years I have seen something like this happen on a cricket field. Good news is we have 30 minutes extra time. We are hoping to be back in 30 minutes and it will still be a 50-over game."
We are working towards sorting the issue: Mayor of Napier
https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cr...har-dhawan-virat-kohli-sun-1437181-2019-01-23
Meanwhile, Mayor of Napier, Bill Balton said they were aware of such a problem arising during the match and that they are working towards solving the issue.
"We were very conscious that this would happen and had made a plan for it. 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."
