VIDEO | Umpires send groundsmen back as English players convince them to carry on with game despite rain

From play being stopped due to "too much sunlight" to bees completely invading the ground, the phenomenon called cricket has given its fans many a funny moment over the course of the last few months. But in a very rare occurrence and probably even the first of its kind, the English players managed to convince the umpires to send back the groundsmen with covers back to the boundary, proving it wasn't raining heavily enough for play to be stopped. 

After a slight rain intervention, the players walked on to the field for the post-tea session 15 minutes post the scheduled time. After the resumption of play, despite rain being in the air, play carried on for two more overs as the drizzle was not deemed heavy enough to stop play. But on the final ball of the 55th over, on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Joel Wilson decided they had enough as they signaled the groundsmen to bring the covers on, asking the players to get off the field, and the Aussie batsmen - Steve Smith and Peter Siddle - obliged.

However, the English players led by none other than skipper Joe Root, stood their ground, almost indicating the umpires their stubbornness to leave the field. Root signalled to Dar with his hand movements and facial expressions that the rain was not heavy enough for the players to go off, and after a long thought, Dar asked the groundsmen who were halfway on the field to go back to the boundary. 

As the groundsmen left the field, the crowd let out loud cheers, but however, within seconds, the cheers turned to jeers, as the Australian batsmen made their way to the middle. Only time will tell if we'll see an even more bizarre incident in the days to follow.