The stage was set, there were statements fired from both sides, but the first day of the Lord’s Test proved to be a damp squib as persistent rain forced the umpires to abandon proceedings without even the toss. It is now advantage England if the past records are to be factored in.
The hosts have never been on the losing side whenever the first day had to be abandoned due to rain. Virat Kohli’s Indian side has to now deal with not only the fleeting conditions but also the prove the past history wrong.
The last time there was no action on the first day of a Lord’s Test was back in 2001 when Pakistan came visiting, but the hosts trampled them by a comprehensive margin of an innings and nine runs.
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This has always been the case and England would like to keep this record in place when they eventually take the field on Day 2.
In 1954, the first three days of the Test between England and Pakistan were washed out and not very surprisingly, the end result was a draw.
Australia faced off in the 1964 Ashes when there was no action possible in the first two days and the match ended with a rather tame draw.
Pakistan came visiting once again in 1978 when the first day was washed out. Ian Botham slammed a century in the first innings and then Bob Willis returned with a five-wicket haul as Pakistan slipped to a defeat by an innings and 120 runs.
The 1997 Ashes at Lord’s could not see any action on the first day. England were rolled over for 77 in their first innings, but frequent rain delays forced the match to end in a draw.
India, which has to do all the running after going down in Edgbaston by 31 runs, will have to factor in the conditions before picking their playing XI and the batsmen have to step up and be counted if they have to draw level against a confident England side.
After a murky first day, the forecast for the second day is much more positive and bright, which should see the match commence on time.
First Published: Aug 10, 2018 12:11 IST
Source: HindustanTimes