On the fifth day of the Ireland vs Zimbabwe Test match in Belfast, a rare event occurred: the batters ran five runs without any overthrow. This happened in the 18th over of Ireland’s second innings while chasing 157 runs. Andy McBrine punched Richard Ngarva’s delivery, sending the ball racing towards the boundary. However, the fielder in the cover region made a long chase and managed to stop the ball just before the rope.

Ireland batters run 5 runs in Test match against Zimbabwe

However, the fielder overran and went too far past the ball, crossing the boundary line. By the time he returned to pick the ball and throw it back, the Irish batters had run five runs. Saving the boundary ended up costing Zimbabwe an extra run. While running three runs is common in cricket, running four is rare, and running five is a once-in-a-blue-moon event.

The amusing part is that the umpires had to check if the fielder had touched the boundary while stopping the ball. Zimbabwe’s players would have hoped he did, but he had actually saved the boundary cleanly. Thus, the Irish team earned five runs from this delivery.

ONE OF THE RARE OCCASIONS IN CRICKET…!!! 😲

A Zimbabwean fielder saves the four, but the batter ran 5 runs. 😄pic.twitter.com/0AAhdi62Pf

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 29, 2024

Talking about the match, Ireland were in a tight spot while chasing 157, having lost five wickets for just 21 runs. However, the 96-run partnership between Andy McBrine and Lorcan Tucker turned the game and put the Irish side in the driver’s seat. In the end, Ireland won the Test match by six wickets.

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The Ireland team will next play a T20 and ODI series against South Africa in September. This five-match white-ball tour will be hosted by the UAE. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe team has a four-month break before their next series, which features three T20Is and three ODIs against Pakistan, starting on November 24.