Even people who love cricket can feel frustrated.
One of the biggest bugbears is when it’s playable but isn’t.
We saw just 9.4 overs bowled at Lord’s on the rain-affected day three. But in tests conducted at warp speed, there was a distinct lack of urgency.
Wet weather delayed the start of the game, but by 11.55am it was announced that the famous old ground would be soaked in sunshine and lunch would be held at 12.20pm.
This meant that the first ball of the day would be delivered at 1pm, when rain was expected to return.
After just 11 balls had been bowled, it was duly done so.
sky sports cricket Ian Ward called the situation “ludicrous”, noting how bad weather changes golf tee times and changes the timing of F1 races.
“We’re expecting heavy rain from about 1pm, certainly from 3pm. There won’t be any action while the sun shines. That’s cricket in a nutshell sometimes.”
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Ollie Robinson’s twin strikes off Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell gave New Zealand a 55-5 win, chasing 254.
What do you think about the frustrating weather delays?
Readers of the Sky Sports blog weren’t very amused either…
Ad Jackson: Why on earth aren’t we playing outside now? All the weather forecasts say it will rain around 1pm. It’s really ridiculous.
Dave: It’s time to abolish these ridiculously strict rules. Why do you need lunch? Go out and play!!!
Owen: We have this debate every time it rains, and everyone except the decision-makers seems to agree that play needs to be played faster. Why doesn’t anything change?
Tom L: The sun came up and the covers were lifted. But it was just announced that the game would start at 1 PM and lunch would be served at 12:20 PM. Rain is expected in 45 minutes. How can this be justified at the elite level of sport? Cricket doesn’t do itself any favors.
James: Cricket is making a comeback. Such long delays in the removal of the covers make it as if these people have never lived in England. As soon as the rain stops, players must get out and get ready immediately. It’s not like, “Oh, it’s okay now. I’ll play in 30 minutes.”
method: Why are they eating lunch now that the sun has risen? It’s expected to rain throughout the afternoon. We are being robbed and there is no need to feed us.
Greg H: So, on this day with the best weather, will the players have lunch?! This is where Test cricket shoots itself in the foot. This doesn’t make sense. Go outside, play when you can, and eat lunch the next time it rains!
On Saturday, when rain dominated, only 9.4 overs were bowled.
‘Eating lunch at that time would have been ridiculous to the fans.’
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said in his commentary for the 11th district after kick-off: “I couldn’t understand why we didn’t have lunch earlier and start at 12.20pm.
“Maybe the referees wanted to give the players time to warm up, but they could have done it indoors. We had lunch at the sunniest time of the day. It was a strange decision.
“When the weather was good we would eat, and when the weather was bad we would play cricket. It made no sense to the people who came in. Saturdays at Lord’s had a different feel and people waited all week to come.”
Sky Sports’ Mel Jones added: “As a sport we can’t get this right. We’ll probably come back after the summer and have the same conversation again.”
“As frustrating as the rain is, I think people are more frustrated that sports leaders can’t find a way to alleviate the situation.”
England is the favorite team to secure victory on the fourth day of the Lord’s tournament.
Problems like this have been plaguing cricket fans for years.
Bad light is often the cause of their ire and the ICC has tried to counter this by announcing that the pink ball used in day and night Tests will be tested in traditional day Tests in order to continue playing in the dark.
It is not yet known when this will come into effect. Although it won’t be an option for this England vs New Zealand series, it will likely mean fans will be able to enjoy more cricket in the future.
It seems like a common sense decision, but one that was probably lacking when the sun shone at the Lord’s Church on Saturday…
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