Australia vs Pakistan 2023-24

‘Pakistan walo ne kidnap toh nahi kar liya’ – Fans react as third umpire’s unavailability halts play in 2nd Test between Australia and Pakistan

Fans react on social media as third umpire Richard Illingworth gets stuck in lift which halted the match between Australia and Pakistan.

Dec 28, 2023 12:03 pm

Australia and Pakistan are fighting it out in an intense battle at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. After restricting Australia to a competitive first innings, a total of 318, Pakistan was bundled out for a first innings score of 264 with some fight from the lower middle order along with wicketkeeper batter Mohammed Rizwan.

Australia started the second innings with a decent lead of 54 runs but faced with some fierce Pakistan bowling and were left hovering at 6-2 by the end of the 3rd over. Apart from a gritty display of bowling from the Pakistan bowlers during the second Australia-Pakistan Test, an unusual yet funny delay unfolded, leaving players, officials, and fans perplexed and amused at the situation.

A bizarre incident with the third umpire halts play at the MCG

The focus of this peculiar delay was none other than the third umpire, Richard Illingworth. It was unexpected that a routine lunch break would lead to an unforgettable episode involving a lift and a seven-minute pause in the game. As the clock ticked towards the scheduled second session starting at 1:25 pm, players returned to the field after the lunch break.

However, what followed was far from ordinary. The central umpires made a surprising decision—they refused to commence play as Richard Illingworth, the third umpire, was stranded in a lift and was unable to make his way back to the grandstand. This left Australian batters David Warner and Steven Smith in an unusual position. Stuck on 6 for 2 in their second innings with a lead of 60, they found themselves waiting for the game to resume.

The match, poised delicately, took an unexpected turn with this unforeseen delay. The tension on the field shifted from the game itself to the peculiar circumstances surrounding the third umpire which made the tense mood of the entire match a bit lighter. When the fourth umpire Richard Illingworth eventually got out of the lift he quickly made it to his spot and eventually, the match resumed.

The match, poised delicately, took an unexpected turn with this unforeseen delay. The tension on the field shifted from the game itself to the peculiar circumstances surrounding the third umpire. Cricket Australia tweeted on X “The game is delayed because the third umpire…is stuck in the lift,” to which the official handle of the MCG tweeted “Sorry”.

Fans also were bewildered and startled by what happened at the MCG and they took to X formerly Twitter to express their views on the matter:

Pakistan🇵🇰 walo ne kidnapped toh nhi kar liya tha

Like bob wolmber

— Ajay Gautam (@gautam_ajay007) December 28, 2023

They didn't start play until the third umpire was back in his seat because they don't trust Joel Wilson

— Sports syncs (@moiz_sports) December 28, 2023