Players and umpires at the Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka and South Africa were forced to hit the deck when a swarm of bees made its way on to the pitch.

With Sri Lanka eight wickets down in the group game, play was stopped after the bees took centre stage in Durham.

Once the bees had departed, Sri Lanka reached 203 all out, their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread after an underwhelming group stage.

And while bees on the pitch are something of a rarity, both sides were affected by the same problem in a one day international in 2017, when bees halted play three times before a professional beekeeper was summoned.

With 30 overs gone in their 2019 World Cup match, South Africa appeared to be cantering to victory having reached 159-1 in response to Sri Lanka’s meagre total.