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England vs West Indies, third Test day four washed out - no play possible

Alan Tyers
·14-min read
England vs West Indies, third Test day four — live score and latest updates - Getty
England vs West Indies, third Test day four — live score and latest updates - Getty

The Manchester weather washed out day four of the Test without a ball being bowled, increasing the chances of the draw that will ensure West Indies retain the Wisden trophy.

No play at all was possible on Monday at Old Trafford, where it rained steadily almost all day.

Hopes were raised around 2pm when the weather relented and the groundstaff were able to take some covers off.

But it proved to be a false dawn with rain returning a half an hour later and continuing unabated until the umpires finally pulled the plug at 4pm. They can rest assured in the bubble tonight knowing that they gave the game every chance on day four.

West Indies will therefore resume on 10/2 on the morning of day five, in pursuit of a surely notional 399 to win the match.

England will feel they can still get the result, with a rested seam attack led by the pumped-up Stuart Broad, who has eight wickets in the match so far, and 499 for his career.

England will have 98 overs to bowl out the West Indies, with the last hour to start at 5.30pm or after 83 overs, whichever is the latest.

The weather forecast suggests that they will lose some of them to rain but overall there is still a strongly optimistic sense from the England camp that they will have enough time.

 

03:10 PM

Well I don't think we'll tarry too long

here. Play is abandoned for the day without a ball bowled. We will have a report, such as it is, in this place as soon as possible, although not quite sure what more there is to say.

West Indies have had a good day! They now have just one day to bat to save the match. Forecast is better, although still not great, for day five. West Indies will resume on 10/2 chasing 399: can England bowl them out in time?

England are strongly fancied to do that, but this day four washout has at least made the draw a stronger possibility. We will be here from 10am Tuesday, hopefully my colleague Rob Bagchi has better news for you than I was able to relay. Cheers.

03:09 PM

Play is off for the day

Abandoned. We try again on day five.

02:59 PM

Just been a really heavy shower

The outfield looks very squelchy.

The groundstaff are safely tucked away somewhere, they're not working on the ground at the moment.

Sky's Ian Ward says that they estimate two ours from rain stopping for it to dry / be sopped up sufficiently. I reckon they will call this off within the next hour. But not yet, ah, not yet.

02:55 PM

Nothing to report I am afraid

folks. Still raining.

02:27 PM

Very enjoyable history

here from Simon Briggs about the mighty Graham Gooch and his 333.

Here is the man himself setting the stage...

Graham Gooch: It can be difficult when you win the toss at Lord’s. If the overhead conditions are heavy, the ball can move around a lot. It was a bit like that in this case. The wicket is also at its slowest on the first day, so you just try to play solidly and get through to lunch with one or two down.

'He just kept going': Graham Gooch's 333 — remembered by the players at Lord's 30 years ago

02:20 PM

Few nice reads to tell you about

Here's a nice piece from Jim White about a sad and lovely cricket book.

It is by sportswriter Ian Ridley, about losing his wife Vikki Orvice (who, like her husband, was a sportswriter) and Ian grieving via county cricket.

New book on cricket and grief a love letter to the game's quiet and healing charms

02:15 PM

It is still raining in Manchester

A bit less than it was, maybe?

There's another band of rain waiting in the wings after this one goes through.

And then, says Ian Ward hopefully, it maybe looks a bit brighter?

02:05 PM

Really coming down there now

Stand by your beds for the day being called off, I would imagine.

01:50 PM

Basically there was maybe half and hour or so there where it wasn't raining

Groundstaff doing everything they can.

01:45 PM

Raining again

that inspection will be put back. Very disappointing news, that.

A washout is looking the most likely outcome on day four here. Obviously that would still give England day five to take eight West Indies wickets, which you'd still strongly fancy Broad and co to do, but...

01:20 PM

Some new challenges

for all of us in these times...

12:59 PM

Inspection at 3pm

You'll have the news as soon as I get it..

12:57 PM

Good news: mopping up operation is underway

Plenty of puddles for the groundstaff to attend to mind you.

England vs West Indies, third Test day four — live score and latest updates - GETTY

12:39 PM

More of the same in Manchestoh

I am sorry to say.

12:27 PM

Here's fun

Carlos Brathwaite, who has been an excellent addition to the TMS team, has just read the Shipping Forecast!

12:07 PM

This Test raising money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation

11:43 AM

Wiggo is on the premises!

With a tale of the front foot no ball and TV umpires.

Third umpires to call front-foot no-balls in international white-ball cricket

The third umpire will take over the calling of all front-foot no-balls for limited-overs internationals beginning with England’s first ODI against Ireland on Thursday. 

For all matches in the new Cricket World Cup Super League for ODI cricket, which features the top 13 countries in the world and launches with the England-Ireland series, responsibility for calling front-foot no-balls will fall to the TV umpires. Successful trials, in some men’s ODIs and in this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, have led the International Cricket Council to adopt the change for all matches in the new competition. It will also be used in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Seems sensible does it not? Mad really that it has taken so long, when you have an official sitting there and only called upon for the dismissals. Bit more work for the third ump mind you. That's always seemed like a pretty nice doss to me.

11:36 AM

Here's the PA wires on the England squad

David Willey has returned to England's one-day squad for the first time since missing out on a World Cup place, with fellow left-armer Reece Topley recalled four years on from his last appearance.

Fourteen players have been named to take on Ireland in a three-match series behind closed doors at the the Ageas Bowl between July 30 and August 4, England's first ODIs at home since they became world champions at Lord's last summer.

Willey missed out on that experience despite 46 appearances in the four-year cycle between tournaments - sacrificed in favour of the newly available Jofra Archer, who went on to play such a key role during the competition.

That looked like it might be the end of the Yorkshire all-rounder's international career, but he now has the chance to revive it with the nature of the current fixture schedule forcing the selectors to pick entirely separate red and white-ball sides.

That has also opened the door for Topley, who earned the last of his 10 caps in February 2016 and has since endured horrendous injury problems including multiple stress fractures.

Somerset's explosive batsman Tom Banton has an opportunity to make his case in an otherwise experienced top order line-up which is led by captain Eoin Morgan and senior men Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali.

There is no place for Sussex prospect Phil Salt despite a 58-ball century for England Lions against Ireland on Sunday. Pace pair Tom Helm and Henry Brookes must also wait for their chance despite impressing with three wickets apiece in that warm-up outing.

Joe Denly, who was dropped from the Test side after the series opener against the West Indies, moves across to the white-ball bubble, as does Saqib Mahmood who had been a reserve seamer in the Test group.

Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone will stay with the squad as reserve players.

The series against Ireland is the first to count towards the International Cricket Council's new Cricket World Cup Super League ranking system.

Morgan said: "We're looking forward to playing cricket again. Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord's, but it's nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament.

"I'm sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we're looking forward to the challenge.

"Ireland are a talented team who have shown over the years that they can beat the best on their day. We look forward to what promises to be an interesting series."

11:34 AM

Ed Smith just can't quit

Joe No Pants Denly, can he? Given the Kent man every chance, and then another chance or two just for luck.

11:33 AM

England have named their ODI squad to face Ireland

England squad to face Ireland: E Morgan (c), M Ali, J Bairstow, T Banton, S Billings, T Curran, L Dawson, J Denly, S Mahmood, A Rashid, J Roy, R Topley, J Vince, D Willey.

11:29 AM

No further info right now

I am certain they will take an early lunch.

England vs West Indies, third Test day four — live score and latest updates - Getty

11:10 AM

Here is an ideal rain-day feature

Simon Briggs talks to the players who were there for Graham Gooch's epic 333.

'He just kept going': Graham Gooch's 333 — remembered by the players at Lord's 30 years ago

As a teenage cricket nut – and Essex fan – July 27, 1990 was a huge day for me. My first proper visit to Lord’s for a big-time Test match. And what a day it turned out to be, as my idol Graham Gooch forged on from his overnight 194 not out to reach 333, still the highest Test score ever made on the ground. Thirty years on, I spoke to three of the England players in that team – Gooch himself, David Gower and Angus Fraser – while Vijay Lokapally interviewed five members of the India side.

10:52 AM

Covers are still resolutely on

Nothing much happening.

10:41 AM

Here is Sir Geoffrey Boycott

on James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Body language tells me everything. And this England bowling unit fancy their chances against these West Indian batsmen. Overseas youngsters don’t often get cool, cloudy, uninviting batting conditions and Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson are master craftsmen in this weather. 

They have been doing it successfully for years, that’s why they each have hundreds of Test match wickets on home soil. If one of them doesn’t succeed, the other one usually does.

With Broad and Anderson at the helm England's bowling unit ticks every box - if one doesn't succeed, the other will

10:27 AM

Nasser on the gap

And it is a "little rain gap later this afternoon."

The sages in Manchester reckon there might be a break in the rain around 1.30pm.

10:21 AM

Here is our report from day three

Stuart Broad bowls England into total dominance against West Indies who have only the weather to save them

10:17 AM

Our man at the ground Nick Hoult

is making vaguely optimistic noises, which makes you sit up and take notice. He reckons things "are brightening up now and we might get on."

10:00 AM

Firstly, the man of the hour: Stuart Broad

'It's a ridiculous achievement': Rory Burns hails Stuart Broad as England bowler moves one wicket away from 500 milestone

“It’s a pretty ridiculous achievement to get 500,” said Rory Burns, who scored 90 in England’s second innings. “He’s bowling really well at the minute and hopefully we keep grabbing them in the slips."

09:50 AM

We might not have cricket

but we do have some superb cricket writing around this website. Let's take a look at what we have this morning.

09:41 AM

Start delayed

Official confirmation of that.

09:33 AM

It is absolutely hosing it down in Manchester

Dear me. No prospects of play at the moment.

09:33 AM

Nice package about Stuart Broad

His anger, frustration, and pain at being left out have turned out to be bad news for the West Indies. He whacked a few with the bat earlier in this game and is going to be hunting ten-fer, to say nothing of his 500th Test match. On eight for the match so far and 499.

England vs West Indies, third Test day four — live score and latest updates - GETTY

09:26 AM

This is one of those cricket days

where we all turn Amateur Michael Fishes. The weather in Manchester is currently... less than ideal.

09:05 AM

Good morning

Tyers here, welcome to our live blog coverage of the fourth day of the Old Trafford Test, which finds West Indies 10/2 overnight, chasing down a target of 399 to win the match and the series. If this match ends in a draw, the tourists will keep the Wisden trophy in the Caribbean as they are the holders. Whatever happens, they should leave with the profound gratitude of English cricket administrators, fans and players for coming here during the current extraordinary circumstances and playing their full part in two and 3/5ths excellent Test matches so far.

West Indies were superb in the first Test, undone by a matchwinning performance of near genius by Ben Stokes in the second and 1-1 was probably a fair reflection. It looked to me a bit, especially, yesterday that three Tests in barely three weeks had taken a toll, they looked a bit tired and beat up, with a few players getting either niggles or unlucky injuries, such as Shane Dowrich being hit in the mouth by the ball when keeping the wicket. Overall they have looked a superbly led outfit, full of skill and heart with the ball. Kemar Roach has been hugely impressive, big Shannon Gabriel has bowled his heart out but looks like he could do with a bit of a lie down now. Unless something astonishing happens, it will go down as an error to have picked two spinners for this Test.

The batting, as we suspected, has not quite been the equal of the bowling, although it should be said that there are few tougher places to come than a humid damp English summer. A lot of their batsman have shown determination and application, and that is what will be required today and tomorrow as they try to save this Test. The weather seems sure to be a factor and we will have regular updates.