"So she came, more like ran over"
Cricket is known for its memorable and unexpected moments and a standout moment was in 1986 when a streaker ran onto the pitch and faced Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth.
India was playing England at Lord’s, with Sunil Gavaskar and Srikkanth batting.
The match was going ahead as normal when things took a strange turn.
A woman wearing just a pair of white bikini bottoms ran onto the pitch.
The topless woman, named Ashley Sommers, held up a banner that read:
“Bring Back Botham.”
She was not happy with the fact that Ian Botham had been temporarily suspended for smoking cannabis.
Gavaskar recalled the incident and revealed that his concern was not the woman. Instead, his focus was on the pitch as he was worried that she could cause damage to it.
He explained that he politely but firmly asked the streaker to stay away from the pitch.
Gavaskar said: “So she came, more like ran over, and at that time she was wearing heels.
“She came onto the pitch, and my only concern was that the pitch, especially the good length area, shouldn’t get damaged because of those big heels she was wearing.”
His batting partner Srikkanth was also caught off guard by Sommers, who flashed her bare chest at him while he looked away.
Srikkanth had been having a difficult time at the crease as he wasn’t hitting the ball cleanly.
The streaker’s appearance made him flustered but Gavaskar went up to Srikkanth and said:
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry.”
Sommers was eventually escorted off the field by two police officers.
According to a friend, Sommers streaked because she was a Botham fan and had a large cocktail at lunch.
When the match resumed, Gavaskar could not help but notice that the ball was not coming off the bat as it should have.
The bowler seemed particularly annoyed, almost as if he was more upset with Sommers’ pitch invasion than with the batsmen.
India went on to win the Test by five wickets, with Kapil Dev named Player of the Match.
In their first innings, Gavaskar scored 34 runs while Srikkanth scored 20. The second innings saw Gavaskar score 22 runs and Srikkanth not score any.
Although India won, the pitch invasion remains one of cricket’s most bizarre moments.
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