Muzamil Sherzad, an Afghanistan-born Ireland pace bowler, dismantled Zimbabwe batting with a five-wicket haul (5-20) but before that, the players experienced an earthquake during their Plate semi-final in the Under-19 World Cup at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad on Saturday (January 29) as well.
However, the live pictures of the game were seen violently shaking on the screen during the sixth over of Zimbabwe’s innings as well. Soon after, a commentator was heard telling his partner on air, “I believe we are having an earthquake mate… In the box we are indeed we having an earthquake…”
It soon revealed on those at the ground that a 5.2 magnitude earthquake happened in the Ritcher Scale which was later confirmed by a local Loopnews website report, which stated: “A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck near Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday morning. According to the UWI Seismic Research Centre, the quake occurred around 9:40am at a depth of 10km.”
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“It was probably 15 to 20 seconds of extreme shaking,” Andrew Leonard, the commentator on air at that time, said to Cricbuzz on Sunday morning (January 30). “(It) never felt like that the Media Centre would collapse or anything. It was lack of control… that you were not able to control the shaking…, and no one knew when it was going to end. It seemed to be getting intense particularly in the middle. (It was) a tiny bit scary I guess.”
“We didn’t know anything happened,” Tim Tactor, Ireland captain, told the website after his team’s eight-wicket victory. “We were on the grass and it probably did not translate to us. It was 5.2, it was pretty big but, no, we did not hear anything during the game.”
Earthquake at Queen's Park Oval during U19 World Cup match between @cricketireland and @ZimCricketv! Ground shook for approximately 20 seconds during sixth over of play. @CricketBadge and @NikUttam just roll with it like a duck to water! pic.twitter.com/kiWCzhewro
— Peter Della Penna (@PeterDellaPenna) January 29, 2022
“The support staffs/coaches, who were in the pavilion couldn’t believe that the play was going on! And the shaking left them very worried,” said Leonard. “They were on the far side of the ground, in the Brian Lara Pavilion. They recognised immediately that it was an earthquake. The Irish support staff were ready to get into the field. It lasted for only 20 seconds, but the shaking was probably quite violent.”
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An Ireland Cricket media release on the match shared, “Sherzad, though, wasn’t the only thing that struck at the Queens Park Oval today, with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake shaking the ground mid-way through the Zimbabwe innings. The commentary team, that featured Irishman Andrew Leonard, bravely continued commentating with good humour as an assessment was made of any potential damage to the historic ground that has stood on the site since 1896.”
“No harm was done and it was really a strange and crazy moment,” said Leonard. “It was incredibly surreal, that is the best way to describe. I come from that part of the world where we don’t have earthquakes and we do not know what to do when it happens. Our producers and co-commentators seemed much more worried. As I never experienced, I was probably calm on air as I did not really understand what was happening.”
