Day 1 of the third Test between England and India at Lord's witnessed an unusual interruption as a swarm of ladybirds descended upon the ground, causing play to be halted briefly. The incident occurred in the 81st over of England's innings, just before Akash Deep was about to bowl his fifth delivery. England captain Ben Stokes, who was on strike alongside Joe Root, appeared visibly frustrated by the delay.
The umpires, along with Stokes and India captain Shubman Gill, convened to discuss the situation. While the Indian side seemed willing to continue playing, Stokes was clearly unimpressed by the ladybirds obstructing his vision. Eventually, the insects dispersed, allowing the game to resume.
Earlier, flying ants had also caused a brief stoppage at Lord's, further adding to Stokes' irritation. He complained to the umpires, who initially allowed play to continue before eventually halting the game.
Despite the interruptions, England managed to reach stumps at 251/4, with Joe Root remaining unbeaten on 99 and Stokes on 39. Root's cautious innings helped stabilize England's innings after a shaky start, marked by Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissing Zak Crawley (18) and Ben Duckett (23). Root also achieved a personal milestone, becoming the first player to score 3,000 Test runs against India.
The ladybird swarm at Lord's is not the first instance of insects disrupting cricket matches. Flying ants have also been known to cause delays, and other unusual incidents have occurred throughout the history of the sport.
