Thanks to one and all who patiently waited for each and every update from our side. This was Badal Pareek along with my fellow commentators Anmol and AkshayaKrishna. It's goodbye from our side, for now, we will meet again. Till then, Cheers....!
Match Abandoned without a ball bowled and this is not the first time that rain has played spoilsport in a Ford Trophy match this season. Initially, the toss was delayed due to wet outfield and there was supposed to be an inspection at 5:30 AM which got delayed multiple times. The rain kept pouring down at regular intervals and as a result, the match was abandoned.
Update: Match Abandoned
Update, 6:55AM IST: The outfield is still not ready to play. Next inspection will be at 7:30AM IST. Stay tuned for further updates.
Update, 5:50AM IST: The umpires will have another inspection at 6:30AM IST.
Update, 5:38AM IST: They have covered the pitch but it's not raining. The grounds men are trying to dry the outfield as quickly as possible. Stay tuned for further updates.
Update, 4:10AM IST: The good news is that the rain has stopped but the outfield is still very wet. The umpires will have an inspection at 5:30AM IST.
Update, 3:14AM IST: Toss has been delayed due to rain. Stay tuned for further updates.
Pitch Report: The match is in Seddon Park, Hamilton. Average score batting first is around 240. The pitch will assist the bowlers early on and there will be help for both seamers as well as spinners. The forecast is not good for the match with some rain around. The captain who wins the toss here usually fields first.
Squads:
Northern Knights: Joe Carter (c), Peter Bocock (wk), Jeet Raval, Colin de Grandhomme, Brett Randell, Bharat Popli, Anurag Verma, Zak Gibson, Joe Walker, Henry Cooper, Katene Clarke, Matthew Fisher.
Central Districts: Tom Bruce (c), Dane Cleaver (wk), Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne, Seth Rance, Ben Smith, Greg Hay, Josh Clarkson, Blair Tickner, Bayley Wiggins, Joey Field, Jayden Lennox.