Cricket World Cup 2023: Rain Plays Spoilsport In India-England Warm-Up Match

Torrential rain washed out the warm-up match between hosts India and reigning 50-overs World Cup champions England in Guwahati on Saturday, while the clash between Australia and the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram was delayed due to a wet outfield.

The rain began shortly after India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat, and it continued to prevent play at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in northeastern India.

With the cutoff time for play set at 7.30pm (1400 GMT) local time, match officials waited until shortly before 6pm before pulling the plug on the contest.

England may well not mind, however, after spending nearly 38 hours travelling from London to Guwahati with lengthy layovers in between.

They will get a chance to fine-tune their skills with a game against Bangladesh on Monday ahead of their tournament opener on Thursday, where Jos Buttler's side will meet 2019 runners-up New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

India play the Netherlands on Tuesday before heading into the showpiece event, where they are targeting their third title.

Meanwhile, five-times champions Australia were also left frustrated as rain delayed the start of their contest with the Netherlands.

It was the second warm-up encounter in the south Indian city to be affected, after South Africa's match against Afghanistan was abandoned a day earlier.

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