Wet start to England under-19 Tour

The England under-19 team's tour of India got off to a wet start on Sunday when the first day's play of their opening encounter against West Zone at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Pune was washed out because of rain.

Heavy overnight rain and steady drizzle since the morning meant that there could not be a prompt start. But with the rain continuing, chances of play were bleak in the first warm-up game of the tour.

Even after the rain had ceased, with the outfield having absorbed a large quantity of water and turning muddy, there was never any chance of play. The ground staff at the stadium worked hard to bring the damage down to the bare minimum. However, despite their best efforts, not a single ball could be bowled today.

The conditions remained cloudy and the sun did not show up for long. The absence of a breeze made the drying process even slower. Finally, umpires SD Ranade and TK Handu had to break the bad news to the players and at 12.12 pm, they called off play.

With the rain pelting down, players of both teams did their best in trying to enjoy the enforced rest. The visitors had their music system playing. While some players preferred to read, others knocked a tennis ball around with a practice bat.