Wet outfield delays India-New Zealand second ODI

The second one-day international between India and New Zealand was delayed on November 7 after officials at Hnry Stadium in Wellington found the outfield too wet for play. Umpires scheduled another inspection for 7:45 a.m. IST; no overs had been reported lost at the initial update. The match’s toss was due at 7:10 a.m. IST, with play scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. The first ground inspection took place at 7:05 a.m., five minutes before the scheduled toss. Although conditions around the venue had eased somewhat, the umpires were not satisfied that the saturated outfield was fit for play. The delay came after persistent rain in Wellington disrupted the teams’ preparations on Friday. India cancelled its scheduled practice, while New Zealand moved its session indoors. Forecasts ahead of match day had pointed to a risk of showers around the scheduled start, though those predictions did not establish whether rain would continue during play. India entered the second match with a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after winning the rain-affected opener in Auckland by five wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. New Zealand were dismissed for 185, and India’s target was revised...