Southampton: The World Test Championship (WTC Final) between India and New Zealand has been delayed due to rain. Two complete sessions have been washed out and there's hardly any hope for play on Day 1. Fans around the world, who were eagerly waiting for the WTC Final were frustrated to see the turn of events. Some of them blamed the ICC for organising at the wrong venue.
It is not a secret that the weather in England during June is not the ideal weather for cricket as it usually rains during this period. Despite that, International Cricket Council (ICC) has been organising ICC events and tournament during this time of the year. The 2013 Champions Trophy, 2019 Cricket World Cup, too have been played during the month of June. The 2013 Champions Trophy final was also reduced to almost a 20 over match due to rain.
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So, as things stand at 7 pm IST. The rain has stopped for about 30 minutes in Southampton but still, there's no guarantee of play as the outfield s still damp due to the constant downpour.
Here are some tweets of the frustrated fans:
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The outrage from fans is understandable as the WTC Final has been planned since 2013, and when it was set to be played in 2021, it rains heavily. There needs to be a mechanism of deciding which season is good to host matches in a particular country.
The ICC needs to take in cognisance the matter and make sure such blunders are avoided in the future. Meanwhile, the downpour continues at the Ageas Bowl. The conditions do not look good for play on Day-1. Looks like, the reserved day might come into effect if we lose the entire day's play. Keep following for timely updates regarding WTC Final.