It has been a frustrating morning for both India and New Zealand cricketers as rain in Southampton washed out the first session of Day 1 in the World Test Championship final on Friday. The official announcement of no play till lunch was made almost an hour before the scheduled toss time at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, which forced the cricketers from both sides to stay in their hotel - The Hilton - rooms, which is a part of the venue premises.
Sticking true to their ‘nice boy’ nature, the New Zealand cricketers were seen having coffee while sitting and watching the groundsman adjusting the covers in the middle.
The New Zealand Cricket Board tweeted a photograph in which fast bowlers Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Kyle Jamieson were seen relaxing with books and coffee.
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“Rain to start in Southampton means coffee and a chat watching the covers to start the day,” the tweet read.
It 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 under cover.
{{/usCountry}}It 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 under cover.
{{/usCountry}}"The toss has been delayed and there will be no play in the opening session," the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) tweeted.
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At the time of writing this, live pictures at the Ageas Bowl Southampton were not promising at all. Almost the entire 30-yard circle was covered in multiple layers, a lot of patches and mini puddles were visible at different parts of the ground and the worst bit was that it was drizzling.
The organisers have allocated a reserve day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the match.
The one-off match marks the culmination of a two-year cycle of the inaugural WTC, launched in 2019 to create a pinnacle event for test cricket.
India went with both their spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin while veteran Ishant Sharma was picked as the third seamer ahead of Mohammed Siraj in their five-man attack.
New Zealand, currently the top-ranked test team, were yet to reveal their playing XI.