The World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand begins on June 18, but the action could be marred by inclement weather in Southampton, with rain expected to feature at some point during the WTC Test.

A reserve day has been put in place by the ICC for the WTC final on June 23, which will come into effect if, on the same playing day, time lost due to rain is not compensated.

According to the UK Met Office website, Southampton is expected to witness steady thundershowers for at least the first two days of the Test. For June 18 and 19, the department has signalled a ‘yellow warning’ for thunderstorms, with “a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life” in parts of England and east Wales starting Friday.’

Here’s the day-wise breakdown across five days of the Rose Bowl Test:

June 18 (Day 1): From 11am to 1pm (most of the first session) on Friday, there’s expected to be 90 per cent chance of precipitation, with the percentage ranging from 50 to 90 per cent in other phases of the day. Around 4pm, there’s likely to be 90 per cent precipitation as well, which will coincide with the final session of the day.

June 19 (Day 2): The forecast gets marginally better for the days to follow, with precipitation chances ranging from 5-10 per cent through the playing time of the Test on the second day. The yellow warning for thunderstorms continues into day two, but the precipitation chances will reach 30 per cent only as late as 10pm.

June 20 (Day 3): There’s a chance for heavy showers in the early half of the day, but is expected to make way for “sunny intervals” by early evening. Around 10am, there’s likely to be 60 per cent chance of precipitation, hovering around 40 per cent from 1pm to 4pm.

June 21 (Day 4): There’s the likelihood of light showers again, with precipitation chances ranging anywhere between 30 per cent and 40 per cent through the course of the day.

June 22 (Day 5): On what is expected to be an absorbing final day of the Championship, there’s likely heavy cloud cover in the first half, turning into “light showers by lunchtime”, indicated by the chance of precipitation around 30 to 40 per cent from 1pm to 4pm.

June 23 (Reserve day): Wednesday is likely to carry the same pattern as Tuesday, with the chances of precipitation ranging from 30 to 40 per cent from 1pm to 4pm, and chances of “light showers by lunchtime”.

If there’s a draw or a tie, India and New Zealand will be declared joint-winners of the Championship. The captains can agree for a draw if there’s no likelihood of a result at the end of day five, and less than 60 minutes of play has been lost due to rain or other circumstances.

You can check the preview and predicted playing XIs for the final here. The TV and live streaming details of the final can be found here.

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