As the rain continued to play spoilsport during the World Test Championship final in Southampton, former India and New Zealand cricketers questioned ICC’s planning for the marquee fixture.
Torrential rains led to Day 1 and Day 4 being entirely abandoned, while there was also a loss of about two hours on Day 2 and Day 3 each due to bad light. The ICC has kept a reserve day for the 23rd of June, but the match won’t have the full 450 overs of play despite that. The governing body had already clarified that the trophy will be shared if there is a draw.
Speaking on Star Sports, Laxman and Bond pointed fingers at ICC’s preparation and planning for the WTC final, with Laxman mentioning that the governing body didn’t get the rules right and that no fan will be happy without an outright result.
“It’s very sad for the fan. I think 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,”
said the Indian batting great.
Ex-New Zealand paceman Bond second VVS on this, adding that it’s not ideal for a game of this magnitude to not have 450 overs in – amounting to five days of play. However, he also quietly backed New Zealand to still come out on top, given their position of strength. The Kiwis are 101/2, trailing India’s 217 by 116 runs. If they can bat an entire day, they’ll put the opposition under a lot of pressure. But the weather holds the key.
“Both teams want to play to win. The other thing is that the pitch is offering so much to the bowlers that even if you have three-four days of play, we could find a result,”
“If the weather delays go on for long, sometimes it means only one team can win if New Zealand bat well after the rain finishes, it puts them in the best position but I’m with VVS, however long it takes, I’d like to see 450 overs and one team come out on top,”
Bond said.
