Third day of Kanpur Test called off despite no rain

For the second consecutive day, there was no play in the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur. Unlike Saturday, there was not a single drop of rain today but a wet outfield resulted in play being called off at 2pm. Ironically, as soon as the umpires made that decision, the sun emerged from behind the clouds.

After three days, Bangladesh are 107 for 3 in the first innings of the Test. There are still two more days left but the chances of a result have reduced drastically.

The day started with the covers being removed from the outfield, with an inspection scheduled for 10am. Soon, the ground staff removed the main cover as well and started marking the crease on either side of the pitch.

But when the umpires came out for the inspection, they found certain areas in the outfield, especially mid-off, mid-on and the bowler's run-up from the media box end, too soggy to start play.

They planned the next inspection at noon. But things hardly improved, much to the frustration of fans who, given it was a Sunday, turned out in good numbers.

All this while, the ground staff seemed to be relying solely on the sun to do its magic. Another inspection was planned for 2pm, when the umpires decided that was it for the day.