The first T20I of India’s tour of New Zealand 2022 would’ve been in its business end by now had weather gods not played spoilsport in Wellington tonight.
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Although there was a bad weather forecast for throughout the day, weather in the city indulged in a proper combat with the forecast to not let a lot of rain pour down for a large part of the day.
However, just as the toss was nearing, rainfall made its significant presence felt to the extent that there was no going back from thereon. Rain did stop for a brief period after the toss was officially delayed but it making a swift comeback left no room for live action. Therefore, all players of both teams did as part of a sporting activity was take part in foot-volley in an indoor space.
No play possible in Wellington. T20I 1 abandoned due to rain 🌧️ We move to T20I 2 at @BayOvalOfficial on Sunday! #NZvIND #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/gK81mfiInB
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 18, 2022
Match abandoned without a ball bowled
Scheduled to begin at 07:00 PM (local time), there was a deadline till 09:46 PM for a five-over match to begin. However, weather conditions were so inclement that the match had to be called off around 09:00 PM at the Sky Stadium.
With no toss happening, it will go down as a match abandoned without a ball being bowled. As a result, this match won’t reflect in the list of matches played by players or any other records for that matter. The same wouldn’t have been the case had the toss happened.
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Even if rain had stopped, drying the outfield would’ve been an onerous task. A venue which is also a regular host of rugby matches is bereft of the best of drainage systems.
“Boys were quite excited to play. New Zealand is a great country. Great place to play. Unfortunate to not get a game,” India captain Hardik Pandya told Spark Sport after the contest was called off citing no possibility of a rain-curtailed event.
