Umpire Kumar Dharmasena's attempt to catch ball in SL vs AUS ODI sets Internet on fire

The 3rd ODI between Sri Lanka and Australia on Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo finished with the hosts winning the match by six wickets and taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The high-octane match featured many memorable moments, including a bizarre one, where the umpire Kumar Dharmasena was seen trying to catch a ball. The picture of Dharamsena’s attempted catch was shared on Twitter by cricket.com.au, which quickly became viral among cricket fans.

Cricket Australia’s funny reaction to the incident

“Catch! Umpire Kumar Dharmasena looks like he wants to get into the action...Thankfully he didn't,” the social media handle of Cricket Australia said while sharing the picture. The incident took place in the first innings of the match when an Aussie batter lofted the ball towards the square leg. Eventually, the umpire managed to dodge the ball and it took its natural course.

Twitter overflows with reactions by cricket fans

Cricket fans took Twitter by storm with their hilarious reactions to the incident, with a few saying, Dharamsena remembered that he is not a Sri Lankan player anymore. “He timely remembered that he is NOT an SL player anymore…,” the fan wrote. At the same time, another fan referred to the picture and said, “When you are fed-up of doing umpiring and becomes a cricketer on the spot..”. 

Australia posted 291/6 on the board after the first innings

On the match front, Australia scored 291/6 in the first innings, riding high on Travis Head’s unbeaten 70 off 65 ball. Skipper Aaron FInch started the innings with a 88-ball knock of 82 runs, while Alex Carey missed out on his fifty by a run, facing the 52nd ball. Jeffrey Vandersay contributed with the best figures of 3/49 in 10 overs for the hosts.

Pathum Nissanks carries SL to victory on his century

In the second innings, the visiting team were overshadowed by a 170-run partnership between Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. While Mendis retired hurt on 87 off 85 balls, Nissanka scored 137 runs off 147 balls. With two more games remaining in the series, Australia will now look to equalize scores in the next game on Tuesday, before the final ODI gets underway on Friday.

(Image: @cricketcomau/Twitter/AP)