NEW DELHI: The ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) is encountering a unique problem. R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has now witnessed the appearance of snakes during two matches so far.
The latest incident occurred on Saturday, when a snake(s) appeared twice during the match between B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings.
In a viral video on social media, a snake was seen intruding into the field during Jaffna's chase. The reptile was slowly crawling ahead when Kandy pacer Isuru Udana spotted it and got terrified. The pacer, who almost stamped on the snake, was then seen making a quick escape. Lucky escape indeed.
Later, a snake was seen wriggling to the electric wires on the boundary line, scaring cameramen there. The visuals on social media have two cameramen watching the snake from a safe distance, leaving their work station vacant.
Chasing 179, Jaffna Kings were 140 for 5 in 17.1 overs against B-Love Kandy with Shoaib Malik (41* off 27) and Thisara Perera (29* off 16) adding a fifty-run stand when the snake made its second appearance. Jaffna finished 8 runs short in the end to lose the game to Kandy.
It was not the first time a snake has made its appearance during a LPL match at the venue. During the second game of the season, on July 31, between Galle Titans and Dambulla Aura, a snake was seen slithering on the field bringing a brief halt to the match.
