Incessant rain washes out second successive day in Wellington
Though the day began with the rain pelting down on the Basin Reserve outfield, there were a few signs through the day that gave some hope of action getting underway. However, the rain ended up being stop-and-start, dampening any little chance of getting in play.
About 30 minutes into the day, live pictures showed an outfield strewn with wet patches, with only the square and the run-up areas remaining wrapped under covers.
What’s the sky up to!? Craig McMillan and Tom Latham watch on as more rain sweeps across the @BasinReserve
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 9, 2019
The hessian is back on the pitch 😐 #NZvBAN pic.twitter.com/iuWpn0rmIT
It wasn’t until noon that the Supersopper began doing the rounds. The covers began being peeled off at 1.15pm local time, but just as an inspection was imminent, the rains came down again. It relented shortly thereafter, leading to an inspection scheduled for 1.45pm, right around when the covers began being unfurled again.
After a back-and-forth routine of the covers coming on and off, a third inspection was scheduled for 3pm, which finally brought the umpires out. The players began making their way out for warm-ups thereafter. The umpires scheduled a final inspection for 3.45pm even as the Supersoppers and heavy roller did their thing.
But the rains returned at 3.50pm, bringing the hessian back over the pitch, and that shut out all chances of play happening, with an official abandonment coming out at 4.30pm.
As on Saturday, play for the third day is scheduled to begin 30 minutes early, with a much clearer forecast.