The marquee World Cup warm-up match between India and England was washed out today (September 30) in Guwahati, after rain swept away any chance of play at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
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A storm swept in moments before the first ball was scheduled to be sent down, and quickly turned torrential. It continued at the same intensity throughout the evening and despite the ground staff being able to cover the playing area quickly, the match was called off three and a half hours later.
Rohit Sharma had won the toss and elected to bat first before the heavens opened. England had 13 of their 15-player squad available to play in the game, with Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes sitting out. All of India’s squad were available for the fixture.
The other warm-up match of the day between Australia and the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram was also affected by rain. The match was reduced to 23 overs per side after the start was postponed.
Abandoned.#INDvENG #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/CoTWOhbcfT
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) September 30, 2023
England are scheduled to play their only remaining warm-up fixture before the tournament gets underway on Monday (October 2) against Bangladesh. They will play the first match of the tournament on Thursday (October 5) against New Zealand. India will play their only remaining warm-up match against the Netherlands on Tuesday (October 3). India’s first match of the tournament will be against Australia on Sunday, October 8.
Rain also affected yesterday’s warm-up matches, with several breaks in play during New Zealand’s win over Pakistan. The match between South Africa and Afghanistan, also in Thiruvananthapuram, was abandoned without a ball being bowled. While England played an ODI series in Bangladesh earlier this year, several key members of their 2023 World Cup squad were unavailable for that series meaning that the majority of the squad is short on recent ODI action in Asian conditions.
