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CHESTER-LE-STREET, England (Reuters) - A swarm of bees forced the players of South Africa and Sri Lanka to dive onto the ground during their Cricket World Cup clash at the Riverside Stadium on Friday -- but for many on the pitch there was a sense of deja vu.

Bees halting international cricket matches is not common, yet it has now happened to the same two teams some two years and 10,000 kilometers apart.

The stoppage on Friday lasted only a few minutes, but when South Africa and Sri Lanka clashed at The Wanderers in Johannesburg in a One-Day International in February 2017, the game was halted for over an hour before the swarm moved on.

“I remember the last time, it was at Johannesburg against Sri Lanka, the same thing happened,” South Africa captain Faf du Plessis told reporters.

“It is very funny. Looks like someone’s just had a machine-gun through all the players on the field and everyone is down on the ground.

“Yeah, you are not brave when there is a bee, or a swarm of bees flying. I think I’m brave, but not that brave!”

Already eliminated South Africa beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the World Cup clash on Friday.