Toss couldn’t take place on Day 1 in Southampton due to persistent rain.
The downpour was so relentless that the toss couldn’t take place at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Friday (June 18).
Having lost the opening day, the match officials have now decided to extend the second day’s play to 98 overs with a 10:30 AM local start.
Taking to Twitter, the official handle of New Zealand cricket team updated: “Day 1 has been called at the Hampshire Bowl. A brief period without rain after lunch but it's back now and the Match Officials have called things. 98 overs now scheduled for tomorrow with a 10-30am local start.”
Notably, ICC has also allocated June 23 as a reserve day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the final. So, as long as the rain stays away for the next five days, there shouldn’t be any issue at all.
“The Reserve Day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play, and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day. There will be no additional day’s play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario,” ICC had said in a media release while announcing the playing conditions for the WTC final.
“In the event of time being lost during the match, the ICC Match Referee will regularly update the teams and media about the way in which the Reserve Day may be used. The final decision on whether the Reserve Day needs to be used will be announced at the scheduled start of the last hour on the fifth day.”