LONDON – The much-anticipated one-day international cricket match between England and the West Indies at the Oval on Tuesday faced unexpected hurdles both from traffic and weather.
Initially, both teams encountered significant travel disruptions due to traffic jams across London. The congestion left team buses stranded on the way to the cricket ground in south London. In a bid to not miss their pre-match preparations, England’s players opted to leave their bus and cycle to the Oval. In contrast, the West Indies team remained on their bus, arriving at the venue at around 12:40 p.m. local time, missing the scheduled toss by a mere 10 minutes.
West Indies’ captain, Shai Hope, humorously acknowledged their situation, jesting that perhaps walking would have been quicker. The Caribbean team had spent the previous night at a hotel just 3.5 miles (or about five kilometers) away from the venue.
Despite these setbacks, play commenced 30 minutes behind the original schedule. England, having already secured victory in the series with wins in Birmingham and Cardiff, won the toss and elected to bowl first under the cloudy skies. The West Indies began their innings and reached 83-3 before being interrupted again — this time by rain.
The rain delay lasted approximately 90 minutes, prompting a reduction in the match to 40 overs per side. West Indies made strategic adjustments to their lineup, introducing Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shamar Joseph in place of Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, and Matthew Forde.