Damp outfield delays play in bright sunshine

Stokes vs Samuels – Level 3 showdown (1:49)

We take a look at the battles between Ben Stokes and Marlon Samuels as they prepare to resume their rivalry in the ODI series (1:49)

Toss delayed due to wet outfield

Sunshine greeted the start of the one-day series between England and West Indies, but there was no immediate play at Old Trafford with a damp outfield causing significant concerns for the umpires.

Having inspected at 1pm – half an hour after the scheduled start – the officials, Tim Robinson and Simon Fry, opted to look again 2pm in the hope that the problem areas, generally around the edge of the square where the covers would stop, had dried sufficiently. There has been considerable rain the area in recent times, and more fell overnight in Manchester, but it was another occasion when cricket did little for its PR image.

The news of the further delay was greeted by boos from the crowd who sat in the pleasant autumn conditions with no cricket to watch. Although the umpires said they would do their best to get a game on, there was a growing concern at the prospect of an abandonment. At this time of the year, dew will become a factor when the sun begins to set as the evening draws in meaning the outfield may not get any better.

West Indies had been unhappy with conditions during the T20I at Chester-le-Street after rain towards the end of England’s which made the outfield very slippery. The T20 captain, Carlos Brathwaite, said the match had come close to being called off after Chadwick Walton, the wicketkeeper, had suffered a nasty slip behind the stumps.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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