A Sri Lankan cricket match brought more literal meaning to the term a snake in the grass this week.

The Lanka Premier League T20 match between Galle Titans – featuring Black Caps wicket-keeper Tim Seifert - and Dambulla Aura had to be stopped when players noticed an unexpected extra had slithered into the game.

Play came to a pause when one of the Titans bowlers gestured to the umpire that there was a snake on the field. Observers suggested it was a common rat snake, a non-venomous species.

“What a sight. I’ve never seen anything like this,” a commentator said in a video of the match coverage posted by the league on social media.

The delay lasted a couple of minutes as the snake was corralled off the pitch by an umpire – who was seemingly unfazed by the whole thing and calmly walked behind the snake to help guide it off the pitch.

“How’s the fourth umpire? He’s a brave guy. It looks like it’s his pet,” the commentator said.

The snake soon made its way from the field of play and was reportedly returned to its natural habitat by a wildlife rescue team.

That wasn’t where the excitement ended, however, with a super over needed to decide the contest with the sides both posting 180 from their allotted overs; Seifert run out for 14 from 17 deliveries.

Ultimately the Titans took the result, though, chasing down the Aura’s nine-run super over in just three balls.