WTC final: Tom Latham reveals how New Zealand players spent time on a washed-out Day 1

New Zealand batsman Tom Latham has revealed that the Kiwi players spent their time playing darts and table tennis as Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final was washed out due to rain.

The start of the much awaited World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand turned out to be anti-climatic, with the entire day at the Ageas Bowl being washed out without even the toss taking place. Tom Latham said his team was expecting no play on Day 1, given the consistent rains prior to the start of the day's play. He was quoted as saying by the The New Zealand Herald:

"I think looking at conditions, the amount of water that has fallen from yesterday afternoon, there probably wasn't a huge chance we were going to play. The guys were just trying to relax. There was a lot of table tennis, a lot of darts being played up in the team room. The guys are pretty relaxed, which has been good. We'll have to give it another shot tomorrow and wait and see what happens."

UPDATE - Unfortunately, play on Day 1 has been called off due to rains. 10.30 AM local time start tomorrow.#WTC21

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2021

The weather report for Day 2 is better and one can expect play to begin on time. There is a 10 per cent chance of rain until 4PM (GMT) according to the UK's Met Office.

---

"Obviously that can change before the toss" - Tom Latham on Team India naming their playing XI in advance

New Zealand are yet to name their XI for the WTC final.

With overcast conditions predicted for the rest of the Test match, Tom Latham suggested that he wouldn't be surprised if India went on to make changes to their playing XI, despite them naming their team in advance.

New Zealand, meanwhile, are keeping their cards close to the chest as Kane Williamson and co. are yet to divulge their XI. Tom Latham added in this regard:

"We haven't confirmed the final 11 yet. We'll have to wait to have a chance to have a look at the wicket etc. I'm sure Kane [Williamson] and Steady (coach Gary Stead) have a few contingencies in plan, but we'll have to wait til the covers come off and we get a chance to play. Both teams can make changes before the toss so I guess we're both in the same position. I know India have named their 11 but obviously that can change before the toss."

Tom Latham is a certain starter in New Zealand's middle-order. The batsman had a mediocre outing with the bat in the two-match Test series against England earlier this month. Latham scored 88 runs across his four innings at an average of just under 30.

🚨 NEWS 🚨Here's #TeamIndia's Playing XI for the #WTC21 Final 💪 👇 pic.twitter.com/DiOBAzf88h

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 17, 2021