A startrescue.co.uk story...

Vandalised wing mirrors, scratched paintwork, snapped aerials ... many of our breakdown insurance customers will have found themselves victims of malevolent forces at some point, but how many have had their roof dented by a cricket ball, live on TV?

That was the situation for one cricket commentator in New Zealand when a ball in a match he was commentating on hit his car. The six flew out of the ground and landed on Ian Smith's vehicle.

Otago Volts player Jesse Ryder hit the shot during a 20Twenty match, prompting the commentator to say, “That’s out of the ground, that’s gone, it’s downtown,” before realising his car was about to be struck, “It’s on my car! I think it hit my car! Oh, the downside of getting to park so close! Oh, no.”

Smith's co-commentator asked if he had insurance cover, to which Smith replied, “No, it’s a rental … For God’s sake, Jesse. Another report. It’s not the first one, I suppose. Usually it’s a scrape on the door … how am I going to explain that? At least I have evidence.”

However, after a moment Smith said he was unsure whether the struck car had been his or not, “[The car’s] the same colour. It’s round about the same place. I know I parked it there about five hours ago. [But] I don’t think I was that far down. For some reason I was more behind the hotdog stand 30 yards back. I might be OK.”

There is little motorists can do when faced with errant sixes, or indeed more malevolent acts. However, startrescue.co.uk's 5-Star customers can take some solace from their vandalism, theft and illness coverage: if their vehicle is rendered immobile by vandalism, we will take it to their home address or a nominated garage (within one mile of that address).