MELBOURNE, Australia: During the second Australia-Pakistan Test at the MCG, an unexpected delay occurred as play was halted due to an unusual circumstance involving the third umpire, Richard Illingworth, getting trapped in a lift.
Despite the scheduled 1.25pm start for the second session after the lunch break on Thursday, play couldn’t commence as Illingworth was unable to return to his post in the grandstand.
This led to a brief hold-up, leaving Australian batters David Warner and Steven Smith waiting to resume their innings, with the team at 6 for 2 in their second innings and a 60-run lead. Eventually, the fourth umpire, Phil Gillespie, stepped in, allowing play to resume after a few minutes, with Illingworth joining in shortly after, accompanied by light-hearted gestures. Cricket Australia and the MCG responded to the amusing delay with good humor, making light-hearted remarks about the peculiar seven-minute pause in play.
“The game is delayed because the third umpire…is stuck in the lift,” Cricket Australia’s social media arm posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The MCG was quick to reply: “Sorry.”
Mel McLaughlin, the Channel Seven host, found herself in the same stuck lift and mentioned it took roughly 10 minutes for them to get out. In the meantime, Gillespie, the fourth umpire, had a busy afternoon. He briefly stepped in to stand alongside Michael Gough in the middle when Joel Wilson had to leave the field for an over, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
