Southampton, June 21: The weatherman's forecast for Monday (June 21) proved to be accurate to everyone's disappointment as the play on day four of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between India and New Zealand was washed out due to rain, without a ball being bowled.
The persistent shower all through the day forced the match officials to call off the day's play as it wasn't worth the wait anymore. The precipitations on day 4 kept the players indoors as they kept waiting for the skies to clear and get on the pitch. Some players, meanwhile, kept themselves occupied with indoor sports and not let the thought of rain spoil their mood.
New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson was seen playing table tennis inside the change room while the team's official Twitter handle, also shared an image of a player standing in the stadium gallery with umbrellas and staring at the downpour.
First time in the seven Test matches played at Southampton, since the inaugural Test match here in 2011, a Test has seen two days without any play.
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) June 21, 2021
Sadly, it had to happen in an all-important ICC event, the #WTCFinal.#WTCFinal21 #WTC21 #WTC#INDvNZ #INDvsNZ
With the weather not improving since morning at the Hampshire Bowl, the umpires took the call almost four hours and 30 minutes after the scheduled start time of 10.30 am local time (3 pm).
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"Day four of the #WTC21 Final has been abandoned due to persistent rain Thunder cloud and rain," read an ICC update. The fans who were patiently waiting for the play to start had to leave disappointed. "We thank our fans who turned up and kept the tempo high. See you again, tomorrow," the BCCI added.
Wet weather has returned to the Hampshire Bowl so it’s table tennis for now…#WTC21 pic.twitter.com/hA0AjPgiya
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 21, 2021
The reserve day is surely going to be utilised if a decent amount of play gets to happen on Tuesday (June 22), which is the fifth and final day of the Test match. However, the weather forecast seems good for the upcoming two days and one can still expect a result if the potential 196 overs are utilised in the remaining days.
With the forecast better over the next two days and, potentially, 196 overs available, there is enough time for a result. 50% of test matches in the last 3 years have ended in under 320 overs which is what we will most likely end up with.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 21, 2021
Earlier on day three, New Zealand were 101/2 in 49 overs in their first innings and trailed India by 116 runs. The Kane Williamson-led side restricted the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up to a below-par 217 in 92.1 overs as Kyle Jamieson emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwis with his five-for. For India, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane top-scored with his knock of 49 runs.