Was at the cricket for the 3rd day in a row and pretty frustrating. The forecast was for rain although not until late on but unfortunately it came at lunch time. Seemed to be perfect timing as it started while they were walking off for lunch and so the ground staff quickly got the covers on and it stopped at the end of lunch and the sun came out so play was only delayed by 15 minutes. So the covers came off, the players came out as they set foot back on the pitch it suddenly bucketed down again and that was that. Few moments of false hope when it cleared, the umpires emerged to inspect things and then it rained again. Finally it cleared enough to start again at 5.10pm and the plan was for 22 more overs but they only managed 6 before it poured again and that was finally that. Forecast is worse tomorrow and it's likely to be a complete washout so looks like a 3rd test decider.
They bowled 29 overs before lunch so if they hadn't made it back for the extra 6 we'd have got a 50% refund for there being less than 30 overs! Get nothing now. 😆
Have always been a big autograph collector and managed a decent haul from these 3 days. Finn, Prior, Broad, Compton and Root from the current 11 (got Pietersen, Cook and Anderson last time England were here 5 years ago) plus also Woakes and Bairstow from the squad so just missed out on Trott, Panesar and Bell from the 11 - Bell and Panesar being the only ones never to emerge from the dressing room throughout the 5 hours of rain delay while everyone else came out to sign autographs for the few people who had stuck around (I didn't quite there in time when Trott emerged). Bell was the same in 2008 too being the only one to walk onto the bus and ignore everyone while all the others stayed and signed for everyone. Also managed Botham (which I'd got previously too), Flower, Gooch, Atherton and Lloyd.
We're in the middle of a drought as Wellington has had its dryest summer since 1919 or something. It's reached the point where all sorts of water restrictions are in place and there's only about 2 weeks worth of water supply left in Wellington. We haven't seen a drop of rain since 4th February and before that not since 2012 so of course it decides to finally bucket down and ruin the test match. 😆
