‘Farcical’ scenes as SCG Test halted before member of grounds staff saves the day

Australian star Steve Smith has caused a bizarre halt in play during Day 3 of the third Test against Pakistan at the SCG.

After play was ended early on Thursday due to bad light, there was a lengthy stoppage in the first session on Friday.

Smith, who was 32 not out at the time, noticed a tiny bundle of black gaffer tape next to the white sidescreen.

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The Channel 7 commentators were originally confused by the delay before James Brayshaw spotted the offending item.

“Or is it that? That black thing that’s sitting there,” Brayshaw said as he realised.

“Only Steve Smith would pick that up.”

The position of the gaffer tape left grounds staff with a conundrum of how to remove it.

“Someone has to clamber along and pick it up.,” Brayshaw continuted.

“Just grab one of those young fellas sitting in the seat. Get him to crawl over. There has got to be a little 10-year-old who weighs about 30 kilos and just get him to crawl along.”

Play was delayed for several minutes as everyone watched the grounds staff try to remove it.

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One member of the team could be seen running with a broom.

“Farcical,” Simon Katich said in commentary.

“The problem with it, is once you have seen it, it’s then it’s in your head,” Brayshaw added.

“And if it’s bothering you, you’ve got to red rid of it. I know everyone will be watching thinking, ‘come on, this is ridiculous.’ But from Steve Smith’s point of view, he will be going, ‘now I’ve seen it it, I need it to go.’”

Finally, after close to five minutes, a member of the grounds staff, Michael, climbed up the seats to remove the item.

It was met with a huge round of applause from the crowd.

“Perfect. I’m not sure why it took that long,” Brayshaw said.

Michael then lapped up the cheers as he received high fives and a standing ovation.

“We saw the kerfuffle over there, I thought I have to step in,” Michael told Channel 7.

“Some of the other boys had too much Christmas ham so I got in there and did it.”

Australian cricket great Justin Langer likened Michael to ‘Spike’ in Notting Hill when he stumbled out the front door and found himself confronted by the English tabloid media.

Smith (38) was out a short time later and then Marnus Labuschagne (60) followed as Australia reached 4-199 at lunch, still trailing Pakistan’s first innings total of 313.