WTC Final Weather Forecast: Southampton weather on Day 3

Although Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final got entirely washed out due to rain, fans witnessed a significant amount of action on the second day. New Zealand won the toss at the Rose Bowl in Southampton and opted to bowl first. Interestingly, the Kiwis went with a five-man pace attack with Colin de Grandhomme occupying the all-rounder’s slot and spinner Ajaz Patel left out.

On the contrary, Team India went with an entirely different strategy, naming spin twins Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in the lineup. With the Southampton track favouring the pacers and the conditions being overcast, it was indeed a good toss to win for Kane Williamson’s men. However, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill tackled the new Dukes’ ball with precision and gave India a solid start.

While the two right-handed batsmen showcased their rock-solid defence, they also didn’t mind sending the bad deliveries to the ropes. Unfortunately, Rohit and Gill didn’t convert their impressive starts into big scores and were dismissed for 34 and 28 respectively. Cheteshwar Pujara also walked back after scoring just eight runs, denting India further. With the red cherry asking questions constantly, the batsmen certainly can’t breathe on this surface.

However, credit must go to New Zealand pacers who were persistent with their line and lengths. While Trent Boult and Tim Southee successfully generated swing from the surface, Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner used the bounce to good effect. Not to forget, Colin de Grandhomme also looked lethal with his gentle but effective medium-pace bowling. With the track being lively, fans must buckle up to witness some exciting contest in the coming days.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at how the weather will behave on WTC Final Day 3 (June 20)

Rain and Test matches England indeed go hand in hand. You’ll seldom see a five-day game in the UK not getting interrupted by the weather. The WTC final has been no exception either. While persistent rain on Day 1 didn’t even allow the toss to take place, a significant amount of play took place on the second day. Now, the burning question is how the weather will behave on Day 3?

As per accuweather.com, the conditions on the third day won’t be cricket friendly with a considerable part of the day’s play expected to get washed out. Dark clouds would be dominating the sky, with the precipitation level also being on the higher side. The major threat is over the morning session, with wind gusts also coming in the equations. Hence, cricket fans all over the world should keep their fingers crossed. Notably, a reserve day is in place to make up for the lost time.