The start of England's 2024 T20 World Cup opening match against Scotland was delayed due to a damp spot on the pitch following a brief rain-shower.
Rain blew into the Kensington Oval in Barbados shortly before the scheduled start time of the fixture, which was 10:30am local time. The covers were brought on but the shower only lasted a short time. When the covers were removed and the clean-up operation began, a small damp patch stubbornly stayed on the pitch long after the rest of the outfield was ready for play.
It's not clear what caused the damp patch, but its position - around about where a length ball would pitch from one end on off stump for a right-hander - stopped the match from getting started for a period of time. There was a scheduled start time at 11am local time, but the patch proved stubborn, and it had not disappeared in time for the teams to take the field at that point.
Minor farce potential here as the groundstaff are trying to dry up the damp spot on the pitch with a big old leaf blower and a sponge.
Real low rent start here.— Rory Dollard (@thervd) June 4, 2024
The two captains, as well as support staff and umpires all were seen taking a look at the spot, and a leaf blower and a sponge were deployed on it to attempt to dry it out quicker. That tactic seemed to work, and a new start-time of 11:25am local time was set for the match to begin. Even though that time was almost an hour after the scheduled start to the match, no overs were lost during the course of the delay.
England's T20 World Cup defence is getting off to a farcical start. The first rain-delay results in a small pool of water seeping onto the pitch. A large sponge has been produced by the groundstaff. A 30-minute delay could now be around an hour
— Simon Wilde (@swildecricket) June 4, 2024
Aha, the proverbial wet patch right in the middle of the bed. pic.twitter.com/DXv0WWY0tV
— simon hughes (@theanalyst) June 4, 2024
Scotland won the toss before the rain shower blew in and elected to bat first. England omitted Sam Curran, Tom Hartley, Ben Duckett and Reece Topley from their starting XI.
The second match of the day, between the Netherlands and Nepal, has also been delayed due to rain, with the toss yet to be held.
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