One way to make a match fizz
Martin Johnson was in Faisalabad when an exploding gas cylinder briefly stopped play.
The Surfer
25-Feb-2013
Getty Images
Martin Johnson was in Faisalabad when an exploding gas cylinder briefly stopped play.
Such are the security measures attached to England's visit that the loud blast around the boundary edge soon after tea had rather more sinister possibilities until it was discovered to be nothing more than a gas canister being used to put the fizz into a Pepsi machine. It could even have been a marketing gimmick as the only (legal) drink in Pakistan capable of leaving you glassy-eyed and wobbly-legged.
The Scotsman, however, seemed to blame Shahid Afridi, not only for scuffing up the pitch but also the blast with their headline:
Afridi banned as explosion disrupts play