Ravi Bopara was the centre of attention after a brief moment of embarrassment during London Spirit’s narrow defeat to local rivals the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.
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Defending 146 against an Invincibles side still in the hunt for a top three spot, London Spirit got their defence off to a brilliant start, reducing the Invincibles to 14-3 after 17 balls. Shortly after Hampshire quick Brad Wheal accounted for Colin Ingram, the third batter to fall, Wheal was whipped away to the leg-side boundary by Oval opener Will Jacks.
Bopara was in hot pursuit of the ball and just failed to claw the ball back into the field of play. Much to the amusement of the crowd and the commentary team, Bopara’s trousers slipped halfway down his thighs as he dived, revealing the former England all-rounder’s underwear.
Michael Vaughan, commenting on the moment on the BBC coverage, joked: “That could have been so much worse. That could have been so much worse. Oh, I’m glad you’ve got pants on.”
The cheek of it, Ravi Bopara! 😂#bbccricket #TheHundred
📺 BBC Two
📲 https://t.co/MoW4Cq5HnS pic.twitter.com/flSZ4NkTop— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 14, 2021
Vaughan actually experienced a similar moment in his own playing days, with his trousers slipping off while diving for a ball in a 2007 home Test against West Indies.
Despite their excellent start with the ball, London Spirit ended up with yet another defeat – their fifth in six completed games – a result that sees them stuck at the bottom of the table. Jacks (44) and Laurie Evans (67*) were the only two Oval batsmen to reach double figures, as they claimed victory by two wickets and five balls to spare. They are now in second position with another round of games to go.
