World Cup 2019: Weather gods threaten India-New Zealand game in Nottingham

Three of the last six games in the ongoing ICC World Cup have been washed out by rain, leaving the teams and fans frustrated. And going by the natural conditions, the match scheduled between India and New Zealand at Trent Bridge could also be interrupted by rain. The last completed match in the World Cup till Tuesday has been the game between India and Australia at the Oval.

While the match between South Africa and the West Indies in Southampton could not be completed after 7.3 overs, the clash between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Bristol was abandoned. This World Cup has already made a record with joint most being abandoned (the 1975 and 2015 had one each). Pakistan’s encounter with Sri Lanka in Bristol on June 7 was also abandoned.

None of the World Cup games featuring India and New Zealand has been affected so far even though India had to cancel a training session each ahead of the first match in Southampton on June 5 and London on June 9. There was no rain on the match days however as India went on to beat South Africa by 6 wickets and Australia by 36 runs, respectively.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have beaten Sri Lanka by 10 wickets, Bangladesh by 2 wickets and Afghanistan by 7 wickets so far to have six points and sitting at the top of the points table. But the game between the two only undefeated teams in the fray is also under threat. On Tuesday, India had to cancel their practice because of drizzle and the forecasts for the match day are not hopeful enough.

Parts of England seeing consistent rain

Parts of England are witnessing relentless downpour since Monday and Nottingham is one of the cities affected as well. Light showers and a persistently cloudy sky are the forecasts for both Wednesday and Thursday and the weather needs a substantial improvement for the game to go ahead.

India have lost Shikhar Dhawan to a thumb injury which he sustained during the game with Australia. He hit a match-winning century in the game and his ouster for three weeks is certainly a body blow to the Indians who now have to think out a new combination in the opening.