London: Not a single ball was bowled on the third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's due to persistent rain.
The weather forecast for the day looked bleak from the outset. The start of play was delayed as the heavens opened up at Lord's, and no play was possible before Lunch. There were hopes thereafter of the rain relenting, but it wasn't to be.With conditions looking unlikely to improve into the scheduled third session, the umpires decided to abandon play.
Play will resume on the fourth morning at the scheduled start time of 11am, but play will
be extended, with 98 overs on the remaining two days, with the option of an extra half an
hour.
England will resume their first innings on 111/2, trailing New Zealand by 267 runs, with
Rory Burns (59 not out) and Joe Root (42 not out) at the crease
.
This test will be remembered for the lads who drew the first blood to get the perfect start to their career. Especially the lefty Devon Conwoy who went past his maiden 100 followed by 200 with a maximum. He has not only made a rollicking start to his Test career but also cemented a place in much-touted world test championship final scheduled on 18th June.
The visitors later bundled out for 378 runs all thanks to the debutant bowler ollie Robisson who scalped 4 wickets by giving away 75 runs. It would have been icing on the cake had he picked a fifer at the mecca of cricket. The test is heading towards a draw but not before giving an alarming signal as the hosts are completely on the back foot.
(UNI)
