Northampton: Match made as man proposes at ODI

Former England fast bowler Steven Finn helped to facilitate the proposal during a live interview with Sky Sports

A cricket game turned into a different kind of match when a man proposed to his girlfriend in front of the crowd.

Mayank Sharma's proposal at the County Ground, Northampton, was also broadcast live on Sky Sports TV on Tuesday.

His partner of five years, Dora Becz, was completely taken aback and said she "had no idea" what he was up to, but that the proposal was "a lovely surprise".

Mr Sharma, 47, and Ms Becz, 41, "both cried" as she answered with a "yes".

The couple, who live in Northampton, were attending the women's England vs Sri Lanka ODI match when they were asked to do a live interview for Sky Sports.

It was with none other than former England fast bowler and cricket pundit Steven Finn.

"I got so jittery because I thought I'd have to talk about cricket," said Ms Becz.

Dora Becz met her fiancee Mayank Sharma in Hungary before he moved to Northampton.

Unlike Mr Sharma, who said "cricket is in my DNA," Ms Becz was not so confident about going beyond "the basics".

Then it became apparent this was no ordinary interview, as Mr Sharma got down on one knee and produced a ring.

Mr Finn told the crowds: "She said 'yes' - no need for the decision review system. Love is in the air, but so is rain."

The would-be bride's verdict on the proposal was revealed to the crowd

Mr Sharma told the BBC he had been planning how to pop the question for three weeks.

He said he had enlisted the help of the local cricket authorities to ask them if he could make the proposal public.

"My plan A was the cricket ground because a lot of people are there. I wanted to show my love to her and her appreciation toward me," he said.

• Cricket memorial garden to be rededicated

• Playing Carr's dad was moving, says Shaun Dooley

• Council wins football stadium legal fight

His plan B was to propose to her during a flight abroad.

Ms Becz said the surprise "overwhelmed her, in a positive way", although it was "not something you would imagine for your proposal day".

"I was not dressed for a proposal - I had no makeup on, my hair was wet," she added.

Mayank Sharma said he was confident Dory Becz would say "yes"

The couple met in her home country of Hungary while Mr Sharma, who was born in India and spent 25 years in America, worked in Budapest.

After he moved to Northampton five years ago, Ms Becz decided to follow him.

He was fairly confident she would accept his marriage proposal.

"If you put it on a scale of 1-10, I was nine that she would say yes. The only problem was whether she would like the ring or not, but she loved it."