England vs Pakistan (ENG vs PAK) 2nd Test Highlights: No play was possible on Day 3 due to low light and rain. Pakistan had ended the Day 2 of the Southampton Test with wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan’s resilience taking them to 223/9 before bad light stopped play.
In the conventional sense, the score is incompetent. But given the amount of swing the surface generated, and the fast-bowling ammo at their disposal, Pakistan would be sufficiently pleased with their comeback. Even 200, at one stage, had looked dreamy. A lot would also be expected of the bowling brigade of Pakistan to bundle English batting line up for a minimum score possible on Day 4.
England
110/4 dec (43.1)Pakistan
236 (91.2)England drew with Pakistan
The inevitable announcement is in. Day 3 has been abandoned without a ball bowled.
The umpires have had a walk out to the middle and they have had a look at the light meter and have gone back inside. The light has gotten worse from one hour ago. So chances of any play on Day 3 happening look slim.
Some news: The umpires will follow up their unofficial inspection with an official inspection of the playing conditions in 25 more minutes. The rain is away at the moment and the light has also improved from before. Fingers crossed on what the verdict shall be at 3:30 pm local time, 8 pm IST.
There seems to be a 'dry slot' happening right now though. No rain and the light has improved too, according to reports. 'Umpires have emerged. There is some standing around going on. Which is an improvement on no-one standing around. Still no idea why the covers aren't being removed,' tweets Andy Zaltzman.
If you're waiting for some good news, your wait could last a while today, so settle in. The forecast from BBC says the Southampton situation is not likely to improve much today. 'Some dry slots in between'. However, the forecast does look good for the next few days. So might be a bit of a cracker of a contest given how this pitch has behaved even after all this. Pakistan, meanwhile, have officially batted now for almost half of this Test, only their batsmen have been mostly in the dressing room, looking at raindrops on the glass windows.
So, this was to be the scheduled start of the second session, and the news is that there is still no news. The condition of light seems to have improved but a light drizzle continues in Southampton.
Lunch has been taken. The first break of Day 3, but only in a figurative sense since we have not had even one ball yet. And with that, the whole of the first session has been suspended. Fingers crossed there is brighter news and brighter sunshine when we return for the second session.
Here's a peek into what might happen if and when play resumes in the 2nd Test. Here's Naseem Shah with a snorter in the 1st Test:
Lots of frustation for neutrals and fans as we get close to one whole session being washed out. The Pakistan players, however, are in the middle. Well not quite in the middle, which still has covers in. But they have taken over the outfield, with the weather more suitable to football than cricket. The floodlights are still on. Low light, we assume, is still the reason there have been no word from the umpires yet.
No news is bad news, when it comes to delayed starts to Test match days. And today, it looks like there will be now news for a while. It's a bleak sight in the middle in Southampton right now. Even if the drizzle stops, the visibility will remain the problematic factor. Which brings to mind what some ex-cricketers have been suggesting on the back of these rain delays. Bring out the pink ball for better visibility! Maybe something the ICC can look into. Since the closed-roofs stadiums plan has been stuck in the logistical pipeline for years now.
It's official now. Rain and bad light have delayed the start of Day 3. The rain is of drizzle proportions right now but the main problem seems to be the low light because of dark clouds, which indicates today will be another day of frustrations.
The covers are on the pitch at the moment and there are dark clouds over the stadium. Does not look promising for a rain-free Day 3. Looks at the moment that we will not have the first ball of the day in another 20 minutes after all. Waiting on word about that, but a timely start looks unlikely. The floodlights are on already on this dreary morning in Southampton, which should give a fair idea of how the day is likely to progress.
Day 3 of the second Test at The Rose Bowl is also likely to be rain-interrupted as a mild shower and mostly cloudy weather is expected. As far as rain is concerned, the prediction for the third day is about 15% and there’s a slight rise (30-35%) for the remaining two days.
The 2nd Test has been a frustrating affair for both teams. Pakistan have managed to bat 86 overs over the two days and will continue their first innings into a third day today. Rizwan has batted on both days and will continue his 116-ball 60 into a third day today. On the face of it, this Test looks to be headed for a draw. But things can change quickly when Pakistan are playing, that's a lesson history has taught us well. Will be interesting to see how Pakistan's pacers do with the ball when England come to bat. One hour to Day 3.
READ | Pakistan end rain-affected Day 1 at 126/5
READ | Rizwan takes Pakistan past 200 on Day 2
Day 3 of the second Test will be the crucial day for both the teams to edge past the other. Have a look at what happened so far in the match:
Predictions for Day 3?