Rain washes out opening day of WTC final in Southampton

Rain washed out the entire opening day's play in the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) between India and New Zealand at the Hampshire Bowl on Friday.

It had started raining in Southampton on Thursday afternoon and Friday's coin toss could not take place because of the drizzle which ensured the square remained under cover throughout the day.

The rain relented for a while but whatever hopes the organisers had of starting the match after lunch evaporated as it returned.

The umpires inspected conditions at 1400 GMT before the day's play was abandoned.

"Due to persistent rain, play has been abandoned on day one of the #WTC21 Final in Southampton," the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Twitter.

The organisers have allocated a reserve day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the match.

The one-off match marks the culmination of a two-year cycle of the inaugural WTC, launched in 2019 to create a pinnacle event for test cricket.

India went with both their spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin while veteran Ishant Sharma was picked as the third seamer ahead of Mohammed Siraj in their five-man attack.

New Zealand, currently the top-ranked test team, are yet to reveal their playing XI.