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Southampton: Five hours after the scheduled time for the toss of the World Test Championship final, incessant rain forced the umpires to call off play on Day 1 in Southampton.
There had been regular showers for the past day, with more forecast over the next week and while India and New Zealand will not be too please with the news, there is one silver lining to those dark clouds hanging over the The Ageas Bowl - there is a provision for a sixth day to be used as ‘Reserve Day’ for situations just like this.
The ICC, in 2018, before the start of the current World Championship cycle, had decided on the ‘Playing Conditions’ for the final and a ‘Reserve Day’ was one of the provisions they had made.
It was also decided that if, even after utilising the Reserve Day, the match ends in a tie or a draw, then both teams will be named joint champions of the inaugural World Test Championship.
The Reserve Day, scheduled to be on 23 June, is to be utilised to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the World Test Championship Final.
In this case, the entire first day, which saw not a single ball being bowled, which now means all of 23 June will now technically be the fifth day of play.
According to the WTC Final ‘Playing Conditions’, ‘the maximum duration for the Reserve Day shall be a minimum of 330 minutes (or 83 overs, whichever is the later), plus the last hour’.
