SOUTHAMPTON: The inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final suffered a setback at the outset after persistent rain washed out the entire opening day’s play between India and New Zealand at the Hampshire Bowl today (Friday).
It had started raining in Southampton on Thursday afternoon and Friday’s coin toss could not take place because of the drizzle which ensured the square remained undercover throughout the day.
The rain relented for a while but whatever hopes the organisers had of starting the match after lunch evaporated as it returned. Several more downpours hit the ground and it was no surprise when the umpires abandoned play for the day at 2:48 pm.
“Due to persistent rain, play has been abandoned on day one of the #WTC21 Final in Southampton,” the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) said. The organisers have allocated a reserve day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the match.
This fixture, worth $1.6 million to the winners and $800,000 to the runners-up, represents the culmination of a two-year programme of series to crown a champion team in men’s Test cricket, with India and New Zealand topping the qualifying table.
India named their team on Thursday, with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami as well as spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja all included in the same Test XI for the first time.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, recovered from an elbow injury that saw him miss the Blackcaps’ series-clinching win over England at Edgbaston last week, said he would delay announcing his side until the toss. New Zealand, currently the top-ranked test team, are yet to reveal their playing XI.
