11 Times When 'Streakers' Invaded The Cricket Ground
Updated - 27 Nov 2023, 04:23 PM
The fans pay to be entertained by the cricketers on the field – the batters, bowlers, fielders, seldom even the umpires produce some sort of entertainment to the crowd in the stadium and thus ardent fans make most of it with their eyes glued to the TV screens.
However, apart from the designated personnel who have the job to showcase their skills on the ground, there have some instances of field invasion by other people also, referred to as “streakers”, who either nakedly or semi-naked ran on the Cricket ground, most often to send some sort of social or political message.
Here we take a look at 10 Times When ‘Streakers’ Invaded The Cricket Ground:
India vs Australia, 2008, Brisbane.
Bowling to Andrew Symonds is a fearsome task; but for this streaker, it became even more painful, on physical terms. In the 2008 CB cricket series second final between India and Australia, a streaker ran on the field entirely naked, where he bumped into the burly Australian all-rounder who was at the crease at that time.
Symonds charged towards the man and shoulder bumped him down on the ground where a security official caught him. The Indian fielders had a good laugh about it. The man was fined $1500. Meanwhile, India won the game and the series under MS Dhoni.
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India vs Australia, 2008, Brisbane
In the same match, the India-Australia Brisbane ODI, after the incident with Andrew Symonds, another naked man, later in the innings, ran towards off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, but swayed away before reaching the Indian spinner. The offender had “Farewell Gilly” written over his bare chest – it was the last international game for legendary keeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist. This time no players came in contact with the streaker, and the security guards got hold of him soon.
England vs Scotland, 2015 World Cup, Christchurch
In a 2015 Cricket World Cup game between Scotland and Eoin Morgan’s England, a naked streaker made his appearance interrupting the flow of the game. The middle-aged man entered during Scotland s innings after fall of a wicket. The play was stopped for few minutes as the security personnel chased the naked man and got him off the field. England registered an emphatic 119-run victory.
New Zealand vs Australia, 2016, Christchurch.
During a Test match between rivals New Zealand and Australia in 2016 in Christchurch, a naked man ran onto the ground on day 2. In fact, he was on the field for a few seconds as he gave the policemen a long run, before going back into the crowd; he was detained by the officials at the ground after one of the policemen tackled and gave him a neck lock.
That was some fun the home crowd enjoyed, otherwise, on the field the hosts were getting thrashed by 7 wickets by the Aussies. It was also skipper Brendon McCullum’s last Test.
New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2015 World Cup, Christchurch
Ephraim James McIntyre, aged 26, stripped down to his socks and ran across the ground in the 2015 World Cup game between hosts New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch. The tattooed man went past a security guard before he was tackled and dragged from the ground.
Apart from the entertainment provided by the side, the 18,000-strong crowd cheered McIntyre, who had previously as well invaded the field in 2011, during a rugby league match.
England vs Pakistan, 1996, Lord’s.
This time it’s a female streaker breaking in inside a cricket field. During the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and England at Lord s in 1996, a female streaker ran around the field for a while before she could be caught and escorted out. It was perhaps the first instance of a woman streaker hogging attention on the cricket stadium.
Australia vs Pakistan, 2005, Sydney.
During Day 3 of the 2005 Sydney Test Cricket match between hosts Australia and Pakistan, skipper Ricky Ponting made a massive double hundred, despite a streaker making Ponting lose his focus and concentration. The man had some words or a message written on his backside; he also did some acrobatics on the ground near Ponting.
England vs Australia, 2005, The Oval
Players on the field were thoroughly entertaining in the historic 2005 Ashes. However, a lady decided to make herself known across. In the fifth Test at The Oval, a female streaker interrupted the game. She had a message on her butt which read as GoVeg.com. She was soon escorted out of the ground.
New Zealand vs Pakistan, 2009, Wellington
During the Wellington Test cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand Test in 2009, a female streaker wearing little clothes ran towards the pitch and specifically towards Ross Taylor, who was batting in the middle. She was soon caught by the guards and taken off the field. Brushing aside the incident, Taylor top-scored with 97 but could not avert a New Zealand loss. Taylor did go on to score 97 runs in that innings.
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England vs West Indies, 2007, Old Trafford
During day three of the third Test match between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in 2007, a male streaker not only impeded the game but also hugged England pacer Steve Harmison who was batting at that time. Expectedly, Harmison was not at all amused by the man’s actions.
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Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, BBL 2015, Sydney
During a Big Bash League 2015 cricket game between hosts Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars, a man from the crowd, wearing just underwear and a hanging towel, ran across the field and did some antics in the middle.
He began running away observing the policemen approaching him; it took 5-6 security officials to catch him. The man was handed a penalty and a ban by Cricket Australia.
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