The India vs Pakistan fixture in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup at the R. Premdasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo saw a very unusual stoppage in play on Sunday. After Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first, the Indian batters were struggling to pick up the pace in their innings. Since the start of play, there were a lot of flies and insects whirling around at the centre of the pitch.

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Around the 30th over mark, these flies and insects intensified in number. They were so distracting that the play actually had to be stopped for a quick little Pest-Control session in an effort to reduce the number of insects on the ground. The India vs Pakistan encounter was halted after the 34th over, and the ground staff quickly brought the bug-repellent sprays and sprayed them over.

The players went off the field for 15 minutes or so and came back when the situation was somewhat better, but still not good. The play resumed at 154/4 with Jemimah Rodrigues batting on 28 after having lost Harleen Deol, who was batting at 46 before the break.

This incident of insects and flies causing a stoppage in an India vs Pakistan World Cup game garnered a very angry and disappointed response on Social Media. One user reacted, "#India should refuse to play in such inhuman conditions - is this a cricket ground or a breeding ground #INDvsPAK #CWC2025"

A fan praised the concentration levels of the batters, pointing out, "The amount of insects flying around the batter and the keeper is just crazy.. don't know how both of them are concentrating with so much irritating bugs around them.. #INDWvPAKW". While another user correlated the slow run-rate of the Indian batters with the playing conditions, stating, "@BCCI @ICC @SriLankaTweet Poor management by the host, imagine how tough it is to concentrate among flying insects #INDvsPAK"

One concerned individual presented how dangerous these playing conditions could prove to be by talking about the high percentage of people with Dengue in Colombo. "Sri Lanka experiences a high burden of dengue, with an estimated annual incidence of 175 cases per 100,000 population, affecting all districts and age groups. What the hell ICC is doing? #INDvsPAK #Colombo #wcwc2025"