WTC Final: IND vs NZ Rain Update: Southampton weather today, June 22

With rain washing out the entire fourth day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand, a draw seems the most likely result in Southampton despite the reserve day in store.

It was cloudy throughout on Monday with constant rain. Earlier, it was announced that the first session of play on Day 4 in Southampton had been suspended. But with no improvement in the weather, the match officials decided to abandon play completely.

Out of four days in the WTC final, two have been completely lost to the unplayable weather conditions in Southampton. What does the weather hold in store for Day 5?

Not much good news. The weather forecast says the conditions in Southampton on Tuesday will be mostly cloudy. To make matters worse, more rain is expected with the cloud cover predicted to be around 94%.

The prediction for the reserve day is much better. The sun is expected to be out and there is no forecast for rain, while the cloud cover too will be low at 25%. The big question though is whether it will be enough to produce a result in the WTC final. The reserve day can have a maximum of 330 minutes or 83 overs, including the additional last hour.

Dark and stormy in Southampton ☔️OPPO Shot of the Day 📸@OPPOIndia | #WTC21 | #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/Sff3i1Ao3X

— ICC (@ICC) June 21, 2021

Only 141.1 overs of play have been possible in the WTC final between India and New Zealand so far.

Former cricketers raise questions over WTC final in Southampton

With the much-hyped WTC final between India and New Zealand heading for a rain-marred tame draw, a number of former cricketers have raised question marks over the selection of Southampton as the venue for the mega event.

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen took to Twitter and opined that a big game like the WTC final should not have been held in the UK owing to the weather conditions. He wrote:

“It pains me to say it, but a ONE OFF & incredibly important cricket game should NOT be played in the UK.”

In a follow-up tweet, he suggested that Dubai would have been a much better option than Southampton for the WTC final. He stated:

“If it was up to me, Dubai would always host a one off match like this WTC game. Neutral venue, fabulous stadium, guaranteed weather, excellent training facilities and a travel hub! Oh, and ICC home is next to the stadium.”

Speaking on Star Sports, former India batsman VVS Laxman felt that ICC “did not get the rules right”. Sharing his views, he said:

“It’s very sad for the fans. I think the ICC did not get the rules right. All said and done, you want a champion. With so much time available, I’m sure they could have at least allowed 90 overs in 5 days to complete 450 overs. That’s something I would have expected from ICC. We were excited that there is a reserve day but I’m not sure whether the game can finish (even with the reserve day) if the rain continues.”

And we have a winner 🎉You’ve voted Ashwin’s breakthrough for India, his wicket of Tom Latham, as the @Nissan POTD from Day 3 of the #WTC21 Final. pic.twitter.com/cmsZZfASKy

— ICC (@ICC) June 21, 2021

India and New Zealand will be declared joint winners of the WTC final in case of a draw or a tie, as per the ICC’s playing conditions announced for the clash.