WTC Final - India vs New Zealand

[Arthur Crabtree]

Slow going in the NZ innings.

[meninblue]

NZ are doing well with the bat too.

[sussexpob]

Yeah, India need some magic soon, as this game is slipping away.

Conway looks like a great find.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Delayed start. This game is jinxed.

[sussexpob]

Delayed start. This game is jinxed.

Ben Stokes deflection and a super over cost NZ the ODI cup. The rain looks certain to stop them being test champs.

God does not like NZ.

[sussexpob]

It seems such a cricket thing to get a showpiece final such a null occasion. The ICC still havent been clear on what happens with the reserve day? It simply says the umpires will decide an hour before close of play tomorrow what "conditions are required for it", whatever that means. Would like to see both teams come together and try to make something of this. Assuming we get a reserve day and a full days play, NZ bat to India's total and declare, with a gentlemans agreement to split remaining overs in half and played as a limited over test to force a result.

Seems the whole concept and credibility at least needs a Champion. The idea of the first test championship being the most boring of bore draws is so bad for the game. If both teams did something like that, or if NZ declared now and India batted on to an agreed target of say 250-320 to set up a one innings spectacle, would fans not be rushing to turn it on a little bit more? Can probably salvage something for its legacy, rather than being the most forgetful test in history.

[Arthur Crabtree]

They seem to be playing. It's day 5 though. Shame it turned out this way.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Look to be taking the sixth day. Still a lot of the game to get through though.

[alfie]

Sadly I think the weather has done for this. Bowlers on both sides have made batting difficult in tricky conditions but the last day is forecast to be fine (we will see!) and it is hard to see India getting skittled , or having time to set NZ any sort of target in time to make a game of it. Expecting handshakes in the evening session...but I've been wrong before so will watch the early session and see what happens. Couple of early wickets might cause some nerves in the Indian dressing room...

[Durhamfootman]

Will it be allowed to go to a draw?

should it?

seems like a stupid way to end a new concept

If they'd played it at CLS they wouldn't have lost any time at all

[Durhamfootman]

maybe it's a good thing of it fizzles out into a load of old nonsense

it's a stupid idea at best

[sussexpob]

18 wickets need to potentially fall for a result - 22 have fallen in 5 days. BBC claims this is on a knife edge, but we need a catastrophic failure from one side or the other to get a result here. The scores have been low, but have come from a lot of overs, so batting time seems easy enough, and scoring runs quickly difficult.

I guess the only real question is the pitch. Having never seen a day 6 in a test, will the pitch suddenly fall apart after so long? I have no idea, I know timeless tests occurred before, but never in my days. I doubt the extra day will mean a lot, especially as its not been used for full days, but you dont know. The pitch could suddenly break up

[Arthur Crabtree]

India in effect 32-4, so game moving on. Can't imagine the pitch will break up too much as so little cricket has been played and the whole first day lost. But I imagine a result pitch was prepared.

NZ not suffering for lack of a spinner.

[Arthur Crabtree]

7-48 in the game so far for Jamieson. Including King Kohli twice.

No one has a fifty in the game. Might be tricky for NZ to chase a small target.

[sussexpob]

NZ just have to breakthrough this partnership soon, and a result might be on