Mist holds up India-New Zealand match

In an unusual incident on a cricket field, the World Cup match between India and New Zealand had to be stopped in the 16th over of Indian innings due to heavy fog that engulfed the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala and made it difficult for the match to progress.

The players had to walk off the field after consultation with the umpires.

At the time of stoppage of the match, India were 100/2 in 15.4 overs, chasing the 274-run target set by New Zealand. Both the openers were back in the pavilion.

With the onset of winters, the hilly areas like Dharamsala here become foggy.

The New Zealand players were struggling on the field while the mist and fog was engulfing the ground. There were uncharacteristic misfields from them, seemingly caused by lack of clarity caused by the mist. Soon they gathered together and apparently expressed their inability to continue to the umpires.

The delay lasted for about 10 minutes. The India batsmen – Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer walked in first before the Kiwis came in.

In the past, matches have been held up for various reasons, including due to the presence of honey-bees.