Rogue squirrel causes chaos in Cape Town

Rain. Bad light. The DRS. These can all cause delays in cricket, but on Wednesday at Newlands, 'squirrel' can now be added to that category.

The rogue rodent caused chaos in Cape Town in the third T20 international between Australia and South Africa, delaying play for five minutes at the start of the second over.

The unidentified squirrel was chased by security, the standing officials and at one point Australia allrounder Glenn Maxwell, all to no avail.

Four members of the local security thought they had the crafty creature trapped in the north-eastern corner prior to play, but the mammal had other ideas, evading its captors to continue frolicking around the Newlands outfield.

An unknown woman tried to negotiate with the squirrel at the conclusion of Nathan Coulter-Nile's first over, but each discussion ended in the resident running away.

"It's the first time I've seen a sporting event held up by a squirrel," Australia selector and commentator Mark Waugh said.

Affectionately known as "Nabnut" by certain sections of the press, the intruder is thought to be either a Cape ground squirrel or its close cousin the Eastern Grey Squirrel.

While the strength of Nabnut's arm is uncertain, its speed across the turf was a valuable asset when patrolling the deep boundaries at the picturesque venue.

The end of South Africa's innings also ended the squirrel's stay, ushered off as the players left the field.