Sri Lanka vs India: Play held up on Day 3 as monkey runs on to field

The monkey which interrupted play on Day 3

Cricket has seen a fair share of pitch invaders over the years, but the sight of a stray monkey running onto the field of play during the afternoon session of the ongoing Test match between Sri Lanka and India is one not many would have been prepared for.

India’s trysts in the lands of their southern neighbours have always been accompanied by simian visitors – ever since the days of the Ramayana, and the tradition continued to be played out at Galle Stadium.

With only minutes remaining before tea, the monkey came out into the spotlight, took a brief stroll around the stadium, before trotting back off – interrupting Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne’s 6th wicket stand.

Invading the pitch can warrant a £1,000 fine and a lifetime ban from the ground, but there are some obvious advantages of being a primate.

Play eventually removed, with Sri Lanka bowled all out for 367 – leaving India a target of 176 to chase down, with more than two days left to play.

A video of the incident (a few birds can also be seen being hovering, having been attracted by the spectacle):

Pitch Invasion! #INDvSL https://t.co/p2EoN11wAg

— Shiamak Unwalla (@ShiamakUnwalla) August 14, 2015

monkey runs on cricket field #IndvSL https://t.co/l9SFiqAJVX

— Rajesh Khilare (@Cricrajeshpk) August 14, 2015

Looks like someone mistook the helmet for a basket of blueberries #SLvsInd pic.twitter.com/qpjMDcdhgK

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 14, 2015

Oh brilliant, theres a monkey on the Cricket field!!! Something new every day!! Beautiful Sri Lanka! #INDvSL

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) August 14, 2015

And a monkey runs onto the cricket field... yep, never thought will tweet that. #IndvSL

— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) August 14, 2015

News breaking that monkey has lodged complaint about Harbhajan Singh making offensive remarks about its mother.

— Andrew Fernando (@andrewffernando) August 14, 2015

An actual monkey was on the ground at Galle. Inviting lots of Ramayan allusion. But Bhajji was also on the field. So, #MONKEYGATE

— cricketingview (@cricketingview) August 14, 2015