The start of the third ODI between England and West Indies was delayed on Tuesday (June 3) due to an unexpected traffic jam in London.

The traffic jam held up the visiting team’s arrival at The Oval, while some English players rode cycles to reach the venue.

England entered the final ODI with chance to sweep the series 3-0, but the build-up to the match took a bizarre turn. With the West Indies contingent stuck north of the river in heavy traffic, several England squad members took matters into their own hands, navigating the congested London streets on two wheels.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement ahead of the toss: “Due to a delayed arrival of one of the playing teams, who are stuck in heavy traffic north of the river, the scheduled start of play will be delayed. Once all members of the playing teams arrive, the match officials will coordinate updated timings and discuss any impact on the schedule of play. We will update spectators with the schedule of play as soon as we are able to.”

As a result of the delay, West Indies could not warm up or train in the nets before the toss. The tourists confirmed their late arrival on X, posting: “Due to heavy traffic delays, our team arrived moments before the previously scheduled toss time.”

The toss, originally slated for 12:30 PM local time (5:00 PM IST), was pushed to 1:10 PM (5:40 PM IST), and the match got underway at 1:30 PM (6:00 PM IST).

England, having secured convincing wins in Birmingham and Cardiff, are leading the series 2-0. The Caribbean side will look to finish the ODI series on a high before the three-match T20I series, slated to begin on Friday (June 6).