During a Lankan Premier League T20 match between Galle Gladiators and Dambulla Giants, an unexpected interruption occurred as a snake found its way onto the cricket field. The Giants were in the midst of their chase, needing 181 runs to win, when play was briefly halted due to the presence of the snake on the field. The interruption occurred when the Dambulla-based side had scored 27 runs for the loss of 2 wickets after 4 overs of the second innings.

Earlier in the match, the Giants had won the toss and chose to field first, sending the Gladiators to bat. The Galle-based side managed to put up a total of 180 runs on the scoreboard. Shevon Daniel and Lasith Croospulle opened the innings for the Gladiators, but Croospulle was dismissed early, scoring only 3 runs, by Shahnawaz Dahani.

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— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) July 31, 2023

The new batsman, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, partnered with Daniel to form a 50-run stand. However, Daniel was eventually scalped by Binura Fernando after contributing 33 runs off 26 deliveries. Rajakapsa, just shy of his half-century, fell to Dhananjaya de Silva with a score of 48.

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Tim Siefert added 14 runs before being caught short of the wicket by Avishka Fernando. Notably, Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh stalwart, made a useful contribution of 23 runs before being dismissed by Dahani. The Gladiators’ innings were propelled by a brilliant unbeaten 42-run knock by Dasun Shanaka off just 21 balls, with Lahiru Samarkoon also chipping in with 7 runs.

In response, Dambulla’s chase faced an early setback as both of their openers were dismissed cheaply, scoring only 1 run each, within the first two overs. Avishka Fernando fell victim to Kasun Rajitha in the opening over, while Kusal Mendis was dismissed by Vishwa Fernando in the second over.

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However, Dhananjaya and Kusal Perera steadied the ship with a 76-run partnership before Shanaka removed Perera, who had scored a quick 40 runs off 25 deliveries. Dhananjaya played a crucial role in increasing the run rate for Dambulla, contributing 43 runs off 31 balls and giving the team a fighting chance in their chase.