The fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been extended into a fifth day, after rain washed out the final hour of play on Sunday (August 3). Here's how the weather forecast looks for the final day, with both sides still chasing victory.
England looked to be cruising towards victory before Tea on day four, with Harry Brook reaching his 10th Test century towards the end of the afternoon session. He and Joe Root got the required runs down less than 80 before Brook was dismissed after literally throwing his bat at a ball from Mohammed Siraj. India's bowlers looked regenerated after the break, and England's run-scoring slowed to a snail's pace. Jacob Bethell was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna for a scratchy 5 off 31 balls, before Root was also out after reaching his third century in as many games.
With Chris Woakes nursing an injured shoulder, England are an all-rounder down and sent Jamie Overton out to bat at No.8. He and Jamie Smith scored just two runs in 3.2 overs before the umpires took the players off for bad light, with a sharp shower falling shortly after which curtailed play for the day. England will need 37 runs to win the match and the series in the morning, while India will need three wickets (four if Woakes comes out to bat), to seal their second win of the series and a 2-2 scoreline.
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ENG vs IND: What is the weather forecast for day five of The Oval Test?
There is rain predicted around South London today (Monday, August 4), and it will likely hit The Oval at some point. However, most forecasts predict that it won't hit until the afternoon, hopefully giving both sides more than enough time in the morning to get the job done one way or the other. However, the chances of the rain coming early and impacting play have increased from last night on most forecasts.
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The weather at The Oval at 9:30am on Day Five (90 minutes before the start of play), was cloudy and humid, with blanket cloud cover giving a grey feel to the morning. BBC Weather has the chances of rain at the ground starting to ramp up from around midday, when they put the likelihood of rain at 19 per cent. A mix of showers and sunshine are predicted for the afternoon. Thus, getting the runs or wickets required in the first hour of play could be crucial in securing a result.
AccuWeather also has the rain staying away until the afternoon, with only a five per cent chance of the rain hitting before 2pm. The chances of rain after that point rocket to 50 per cent.
The Met Office paints the most grim picture for play tomorrow, and puts the chances of rain interrupting the morning session at 40 per cent by 11am. That rises to 50 per cent by midday, with the rain then predicted to be steady until 5pm.
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