Cricket fans suffered a setback ahead of the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final as rain washed out the first session of play between India and New Zealand. Even the toss couldn't take place due to the drizzle in Southampton.
While a reserve day has been allotted for the title clash, heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to play a spoilsport. The match was scheduled to start at 3 pm (IST) but the weather ensured that the pitch at the Ageas Bowl was covered and the toss was delayed.
"Unfortunately there will be no play in the first session on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final," the BCCI posted on Twitter.
The fickle weather in Southampton led to fans blasting the ICC for selecting England as the venue for the inaugural WTC final. The rain had also interrupted India and New Zealand's previous ICC encounter.
The World Cup 2019 semi-final between the two sides had to be shifted to the reserve day where New Zealand registered an 18-run win to advance to the final.
Ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain said that there's a possibility of rain wiping out the entire Day 1 of the Test. "Looks like it's going to rain all morning, luckily we have the 6th day. This is proper rain even by England standards, and it is cold," Hussain said on Star Sports.
New Zealand head into the fixture on the back of a 1-0 Test series victory over hosts England last week while the last red-ball match India featured in was in March. Following ICC's tweet about the washout, fans were quick to vent their frustration on the apex board. Here's how they reacted:
