Cricket

Australia vs England: Rain washes out day one at Lord’s

August 15, 2019 7:02 am

England vs Australia, second Test at Lord’s, day one — Wet weather has delayed the start of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, where day one was entirely washed out.

After the play was abandoned, Australia coach Justin Langer told reporters Josh Hazlewood will be in the starting XI for James Pattinson, meaning Mitchell Starc will once again miss out.

The toss, originally slated `for 7.30pm AEST on Wednesday, was pushed back until midnight because of rain.

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But the covers were rushed back into place as Australia and England’s squads started to warm up and Tim Paine donned his blazer.

The play was abandoned soon after, ending an anticlimactic opening day at the home of cricket.

The pitch was blanketed with heavy covers throughout what should have been the morning session, during which the most encouraging sign was groundsmen sweeping water off them.

The showers eventually stopped and the covers came off as umpires scheduled the first pitch inspection for 11pm AEST.

The peeling back of the covers prompted coaches Justin Langer and Trevor Bayliss to rush out and have a close look at how the deck coped with the downpour. The iconic venue is renowned for its efficient drainage, a combination of the 2.5-metre slope and work on the outfield completed in 2002, but persistent rain made it impossible to squeeze any play in.

Australia hold a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series, having won by 251 runs at Edgbaston thanks largely to two centuries from Steve Smith.