BAN vs IRE 2nd Test: Earthquake Halts Play In Dhaka, Has Cricket Ever Faced Such An Incident Before?

An unsettling moment on Friday, November 21, when play in the second Test between Bangladesh and Ireland was briefly halted after an earthquake was felt at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The tremors, which measured 5.7 in magnitude caused players and umpires to pause the game for safety. At the time of the incident, Ireland were 165 for five after 55 overs in their second innings.

“Goodness. Play has stopped here due to a minor tremor/earthquake,” Cricket Ireland posted on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the disruption from the ground. The players resumed play after about 30 seconds once it was deemed safe. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department later confirmed that tremors were felt across Dhaka and several other parts of the country. Fortunately, no damage or injuries were reported from the stadium.

Did earthquake ever halt a cricket match?

Earthquakes interrupting cricket matches are exceptionally rare. The last known instance occurred in 2022, during an ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup match between Zimbabwe and Ireland at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, when a 5.2 magnitude quake briefly halted play.

Ireland spinner Matthew Humphreys was bowling the fifth bowl of the sixth over to Zimbabwe batter Brian Bennett when the front-on camera showing the action began to shake furiously. However, the play didn’t stop as Bennett played a defensive shot to mid-off

Bangladesh on top against Ireland

Bangladesh's Taijul Islam struck twice in the space of three deliveries to reduce Ireland to 211-7 at lunch on Day 3 of the second Test in Mirpur on Friday. Taijul broke the 81-run sixth wicket stand by bowling out Stephen Doheny for 46 with a ball that turned sharply. Two balls later, the left-arm spinner went through the defences of Andy McBrine, bowling him out for a duck.

Lorcan Tucker, on the other end, withstood the pressure, completed his fourth Test half-century and went into the break on 56 alongside Jordan Neill, who is on 26. Ireland needs 66 more runs to avoid follow on, while still trailing the hosts by 265 runs.