Cummins, Hazlewood fail to chase spirited dog off the field during 2nd Test vs WI, drone deployed to end pitch invasion

Australian captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood failed to chase a dog away as viewers had a light-hearted break from proceedings during the 2nd Test.

The second Test between Australia and West Indies in Grenada threw up an unusual moment on Day 2 as play came to a temporary halt, not due to weather or pitch concerns, but thanks to an unexpected canine visitor. The game, finely poised with Australia leading by 254 runs by the end of Day 3, saw a light-hearted interruption that amused the sparse crowd at the National Stadium.

A dog invaded the pitch during the second Test of the series against West Indies (X)

Shortly after Josh Hazlewood dismissed Roston Chase to leave West Indies at 124/4 in the 33rd over, a black dog wandered onto the field and settled down at deep cover. Despite the best efforts of bemused Australian fielders, including Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins, the furry intruder refused to budge.

When traditional methods failed, technology was deployed. Broadcasters sent out a drone to spook the dog into moving, and the buzzing machine finally succeeded in driving him off the field. The moment drew chuckles across the stadium, and Windies Cricket’s official handle captured the mood with a video captioned: “A brief intrusion by a furry friend.”

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“There is dog on the field! The black canine has taken it upon himself to plug the gap at deep cover. He’s stubborn too, the Aussie players’ efforts to remove him from the arena weren’t successful so the broadcaster has called in their drone to chase him away!” the blog, reported by Cricket Australia, stated.

The dog may have disrupted the rhythm of Australia’s bowlers, but it brought luck for the West Indies batters. Brandon King and Shai Hope stitched a 58-run partnership, the hosts’ longest of the innings, taking them to 253 in response to Australia’s first-innings 286. Hazlewood, who had earlier struck after lunch by trapping Chase LBW, with Cummins pressing for a successful review on the Nelson score of 111, was crunched for a six over square leg by King just two balls after play resumed.

Steve Smith was the star of the show on Day 3, scoring an important 71 as Australia finished at 221/7, taking a 254-run lead in the second innings so far. Alex Carey (26*) and Pat Cummins (4*) were unbeaten at Stumps.