Bizarre reason halts T20 blast match between Kent vs Gloucestershire in Canterbury: Know the reason why?
A T20 Blast match between Kent and Gloucestershire saw a bizarre "sun stops play" moment, briefly halting the game during Gloucestershire’s chase.
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Cricket has seen its share of strange interruptions in the past, and another bizarre moment unfolded during the T20 Blast South Group match between Kent Spitfires and Gloucestershire at St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. On Wednesday night, play was suddenly interrupted—not by rain or poor light, but by sunshine. The stoppage came while Gloucestershire was chasing a low total of 158-run target, when the players were forced off the field because of excessive sunlight right in the line of the batters.
The stoppage took place at 8:15 PM local time with Gloucestershire safely at 29/0 in 3.2 overs. Openers Miles Hammond and D'Arcy Short were compelled to leave the field as the sun made it unsafe to spot the ball. The holdup took around eight minutes before action picked up. Gloucestershire Cricket took to social media to honor the unusual halt, commenting, “Sun stops play. Rather than rain, the sun is in the eyes of the batters... For the safety of the players, the sides have come off the pitch.”
When play did resume, Gloucestershire chased down their target with relative ease. Skipper Jack Taylor led by example, contributing a quick 54 from 36 balls, and Oliver Price chipped in support with 41 from 31 balls. The team chased down the score in 18.2 overs, ending up with a comfortable seven-wicket victory.
Rare Case of "Sun Stops Play"
Interestingly, this wasn't the earliest occasion the sun had interrupted a cricket match. A similar situation happened at McLean Park, Napier, in the 3rd T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan in 2020, when sunlight affected visibility for batters and compelled the match to be delayed until sunset. The same problem was documented at the same ground in January 2019 in an ODI between New Zealand and India.
☀️ Sun stops play.
— Gloucestershire Cricket 🏆 (@Gloscricket) June 18, 2025
Rather than rain, the sun is in the eyes of the batters.
For the safety of the players, the sides have come off the pitch.
Score remains 29/0 [3.2].#BecomeGlorious pic.twitter.com/M8BOf21uGC
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Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Kent Spitfires racked up 157/9 from their 20 overs after choosing to bat first. Harry Finch led the charge with 42, and skipper Sam Billings contributed 38, to post what appeared to be a competitive total—before "sun stopped play" emerged as the surprising headline.
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