WTC Final weather forecast: Here's how Southampton weather will play during India vs New Zealand clash

Cricket fans worldwide must gear up as India and New Zealand will lock horns in the ultimate battle of Test cricket, the ICC World Test Championship final. The summit clash will get underway on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. For the very first time, a world title will be at stake in a Test match, and both sides must leave no stones unturned to emerge victorious.

It will indeed be a fascinating contest to watch as both these sides have been doing exceptionally well in red-ball cricket lately. In fact, New Zealand and India are holding first and second place in the ICC Test ranking, respectively. However, it won’t be wrong to claim that many odds are in the Kiwi team’s favour. The conditions in England are pretty similar to that of New Zealand. Hence, adapting to the surroundings won’t be a massive challenge for them.

If that’s not enough, the Blackcaps met hosts England in two Test matches days before the WTC final and even emerged victorious 1-0. Hence, unlike previous ICC competitions, New Zealand can’t be called underdogs by any means. In fact, many experts have backed them as front-runners to clinch the title. In Kane Williamson, Tom Latham and Ross Taylor, the Kiwis have an experienced batting line-up while their bowling attack also looks lethal with Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner in the ranks.

Speaking of India, they landed in England on June 3 and underwent a 10-day quarantine period. Hence, they won’t head into the summit clash on the back of a lot of practice. Nevertheless, Virat Kohli’s men sweated it out in an intra-squad warm-up match to get the hold of England conditions. The Indian camp is studded with match-winners with Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah raring to take their side over the line. Hence, New Zealand can’t afford to breathe easily.

Meanwhile, as the game takes a countdown, we’ll look at the weather report for the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in Southampton.

Day 1 Weather – June 18 

Rains and Test matches in England indeed go hand in hand. Seldom you will see a five-day game in England proceeding without the intervention of the weather gods. The World Test Championship isn’t likely to be an exception either. Dark clouds are expected to dominate the sky right from the first day.  As per accuweather.com, Day 1 of the clash would be mostly cloudy, with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm expected. Hence, some part of the day’s play is sure to get affected.

Day 2 Weather – June 19

The weather will be slightly better on Day 2, with rain not likely to play a massive part. Although the conditions will remain cloudy, there’s a minimal probability of thunderstorms. Hence, the conditions will favour the fast bowlers, and the toss-winning captain would definitely be tempted to bowl first. Notably, there would be some rain as the day’s play progresses, but only time would tell if it’s enough to force players to leave the field.

Day 3 Weather – June 20

Day 3 could be worse than the first day as a significant part of the game can get washed out due to rain. In fact, thunderstorms are also likely to play a role. Wind will blow at an average speed of 13 km/h, which is not very suitable for cricket. Hence, it would be interesting to see how many overs of the game can take place in such conditions.

Day 4 Weather – June 21

Nowadays, the majority of the Test matches reach a conclusion by the fourth day. However, this is not certain to happen in the WTC final, with rain playing a spoilsport in the first three days. Fortunately, Day 4 seems better with no chances of a thunderstorm.

While dark clouds would dominate the sky, rain won’t intervene much. However, the wind gusts, which would blow at a speed of 32 km/h, might create a problem.

Day 5 Weather – June 22

The fifth day will again see rain washing out some part. The weather would be mostly cloudy, and a couple of shower spots in the morning will be followed by a bit of drizzle in the afternoon. Fortunately, thunderstorms aren’t likely to come into the equation, and the weather in the evening will mostly be cricket-friendly. However, the biggest question is will the game reach a conclusion by Day 5?

Reserve Day Weather – June 23

In case, we won’t get a winner in the first days, the action will shift to the reserve day, which takes place on June 23. ICC have announced this sixth day to make up for the game lost in the first five days. Fortunately, the weather would be partly sunny on the reserve day, and the precipitation level will be on the lower day. Hence, one might witness a full-fledged action on reserve day if the game extends behind the fifth day.