Colombo: After the no-handshake start and toss controversy in the high-voltage ICC Women’s World Cup match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, the cricket turned out to be one-sided as the women in green struggled to chase a victory target of 248.
But by no means was the action uneventful.
In a bizarre incident at the R Premadasa Stadium, the match had to be halted for a few minutes due to the invasion of a swarm of insects.
The Indian innings was in its 28th over when Pakistani bowler Nashra Sandhu was seen swinging her towel to keep the flies away. A few of her teammates went up to the umpire, who were then seen talking to off-field officials on their earphones.
A Pakistani substitute fielder brought out a spray, which was passed on to Fatima Sana.
The Pakistani captain then waged a battle against the bugs. Her ‘pest control’ act – spraying it all around at the insects — didn’t yield immediate results, but she had the commentators in splits.
— The Game Changer (@TheGame_26) October 5, 2025
It all led to play being stopped, and the umpires called for a drinks break.
The TV commentators were initially not sure what caused the delay.
“Okay, I’m very curious. You have been in that dugout, what’s come out, Sana Mir?” asked one of the commentators to former Pakistani captain-turned-broadcaster Sana Mir.
“I have no idea,” replied Sana, before they all saw the spray and Fatima’s act.
“On that pest control note, we take a break,” the former quipped as they could not stop laughing.
The insects continued to irritate the players, and six overs later, the umpires too the players off the field so that the ground staff could thoroughly fumigate the area with proper pest control spray.
This time, the stoppage lasted as many as 15 minutes, but the match resumed without any loss of overs.
India, asked to bat first, posted 247 in their allotted 50 overs, with Harleen Deol (46) being the top-scorer.
In reply, Pakistan limped to 84/3 in 25 overs.
