India vs New Zealand 2019: Sun Outrage Stops Play During the First ODI at Napier

The first ODI between Indian National Cricket team and New Zealand at Napier witnessed an unexpected turn of events as the umpire had to stop the game due to sun outrage.

Meanwhile, chasing a paltry target of 158 runs, the visitors got off to a brilliant start courtesy Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The initial overs were tricky with both Southee and Boult getting the new ball to swing a bit. However, after being watchful and a bit streaky at times, Dhawan has started to look in rhythm with a few delectable strokes while Rohit struggled to get into his groove. He departed soon after the dinner break as Doug Bracewell removed him.

Soon after that, the umpire had to stop the play due to the outrage of the sun as it was falling directly on the eyes of the batsmen. However, umpire Shaun Haig admitted that there would be no loss of overs as they have a provision of 30 mins extra.

“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. 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,” explains umpire Shaun Haig.

Previously, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal rattled the New Zealand batting for a paltry score of 157 runs. However, Mohammed Shami provided the initial breakthrough removing both the openers early on. But a 67-run knock from skipper Kane Williamson helped the Kiwis go past the 150-run mark.