The naked man, wearing just a green hat, managed to reach the middle of the pitch and get close up to New Zealand batsmen.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 match between England and New Zealand was pretty one-sided. Chasing 306, New Zealand lost early wickets and were never in the game during the second innings.
It also meant that the later part of the innings was not much exciting. However, a bizarre incident in the 34th over caught everyone's attention. A nude pitch invader took advantage of a break in play to run onto the field and interrupt proceedings.
With New Zealand struggling at 145 for six in the 34th over, a fan took to the field. The naked man, wearing just a green hat, managed to reach the middle of the pitch and get close up to New Zealand batsmen Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner before managing to avoid security. The man was eventually hauled away by seven men and then broke free before being tackled to the ground.
1. Pitch invader reaches New Zealand batsmen
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Security appeared very slow to react as the spectator jogged toward the wicket and danced about in front of New Zealand batsmen Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner. It took almost 30 seconds before security reacted to him being on the field and even then there seemed like a lack of urgency to do anything about the situation. (Image: AFP)
2. Streaker does somersaults
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At one point, he also did a couple of somersaults on the pitch and the crowd did cheer back. The man lured the security guards in three times before running away, finally giving himself up after they stopped trying. (Image: Reuters)
3. Caught and breaks free
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The man was eventually hauled away by seven men and then broke free. He then weaved around security staff as they attempted to stop him before he was brought to the ground. (Image: Reuters)
4. Highlight of the day!
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Many fans tweeted about the streaker and some even called it the highlight of the day.
(Note: The video may contain sensitive or offensive material)
Well this went well. #CWC19 @RiversideDurham #EngvNl #streaker pic.twitter.com/3K0MVNrNcW
— Just Beef (@Ajk316) July 3, 2019
The highlight of the #cwc19 game #engvnz for my 5 year old was the 3 mins the streaker evaded stewards
— Michelle Ridley (@shellridley) July 3, 2019
Streaker gets biggest cheer of the day and ten minutes air time ! #streaker #NZvsENG pic.twitter.com/1W7cId49iC
— Niharika Maheshwari (@niharikam_21) July 3, 2019
Pic 1- Streaker in football
— Point Break (@CooIrunnings) July 3, 2019
Pic 2- Streaker in cricket #ENGvNZ #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/Qbyl70nZs0
