World Test Championship: Will India-New Zealand take field as it continues to drizzle at Rose Bowl in Southampton

India and New Zealand are all set for the World Test Championship (WTC) in Southampton, but apparently, the rain gods have other plans.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared pictures from The Rose Bowl where is it continues to drizzle. They captioned the image, "Good morning from Southampton. We are just over an hour away from the scheduled start of play but It continues to drizzle here. The match officials are on the field now. #WTC21".

Good morning from Southampton. We are just over an hour away from the scheduled start of play but It continues to drizzle here. The match officials are on the field now. #WTC21 pic.twitter.com/Kl77pJIJLo

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2021

The game does have a reserve day on June 23 but in case of a no-result, the Test Championship will be shared.

India vs New Zealand, Southampton weather forecast 

"Friday, 18th June weather in Southampton is expected to be largely unsettled, with a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in place throughout the day," said a spokesperson for the UK Met office. 

"There’s a small chance of heavy rain in spells, which could affect some roads. Cloud will be largely dominant in the area, with spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms possible throughout the day, likely peaking in the afternoon. There will also be breezy conditions in the area, with gusts of up to 31mph.

"There’s a chance of some intense showers in the area on the day, as the unsettled conditions move in from Europe to affect large areas of England."

Road to WTC Final:

The two teams met once during the qualification phase in which the Kiwis had hosted the Men in Blue for a 2-match Test series which they won by 2-0. The two nations since then have risen to be Test leaders in world cricket. 

The ICC WTC final was initially supposed to be held at Lords, but due to COVID-19 issues and bio-bubble facilities, the game shifted to Southampton. However, the weather does not look quite good.