WTC Final Weather Forecast: Southampton weather on Day 5

Now, what can be more upsetting than a much-awaited Test match getting largely affected due to weather? Unfortunately, that’s exactly the scenario in the ICC World Test Championship final taking place between India and New Zealand. Rain has already washed out a major part of the contest and fans all over the world are praying for better weather in the coming days. After all, for the very first time, a world title is at stake in a Test match.

Speaking about how the game has panned out so far, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The decision was a no-brainer as the conditions were overcast, and the pitch was green. However, Indian openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma were up for the challenge.

The duo tackled the new ball brilliantly and added 62 runs for the first wicket before getting out in quick succession. While Cheteshwar Pujara couldn’t do much, skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane played handy knocks. Having scored 146 runs with seven wickets in hand, India were cursing towards a significant total.

However, the Kiwis bounced back and bundled the batting team out for mere 217 runs. Young pacer Kyle Jamieson was the wrecker-in-chief for New Zealand as he registered a five-wicket haul. The onus was now on the Indian bowlers to take wickets with the new ball. However, that couldn’t happen as Blackcaps openers Tom Latham, and Devon Conway gave their side a stellar start.

Both of them scored half-centuries before getting dismissed at the fag end of Day 3. The fourth day promised a fascinating contest, but the weather gods intervened, and the fans were left disappointed. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Day 5 will unfold.

Here’s a look at how the weather will behave on WTC Final Day 5 (June 22)

Not many Test matches go to the fifth day nowadays. However, the persistent rain in Southampton has made it possible in the WTC final. Unfortunately, the weather forecast on Day 5 isn’t motivating either. As per accuweather.com, it will be raining in the morning, and thunderstorms might also come into the picture. Hence, a delay in the start is bound to happen.

The weather won’t get any better as the day progresses. Showers are expected in the afternoon session as well, and the groundsman will have a job in hand. There’s also a piece of good news as rain won’t interfere in the post-tea session, but it would be interesting to see how many overs of play is possible. Notably, ICC has arranged a reserve day to make up for the lost time for the contest. However, the weather is expected to play a part in the extra day as well.