India, NZ share points in Nottingham

NOTTINGHAM: India and New Zealand were awarded a point each after persistent rain in Nottingham forced the abandonment of their match on Thursday — the fourth no result of this World Cup so far.

After several inspections the umpires finally called the game at Trent Bridge off at 3:00pm (1400 GMT).

The tournament in England and Wales started in dry conditions but three of the past four matches have been no results.

New Zealand top the table with seven points after three wins and a no result while India are third on five points, with two wins and one point from Thursday’s washout.

“Obviously you turn up hoping to compete for two points but we’ve been here for four days and not seen any sun so it’s no surprise,” said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

“They will get some sun at some point but not on our trip here. With training indoors you just try and get what you need out of it. It’s not ideal but having a bit of time off is also important in these competitions.”

He added: “We have a break now, which is interesting at this point in the tournament but it’s a good chance for guys to freshen up and look forward to our next challenge.”

Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli said: “The outfield was not suitable for play, especially as it’s so early in the tournament you don’t want an injury at this stage.

“It’s unfortunate, you cannot control the weather but a point isn’t bad at this stage given we already have two wins,” the star batsman insisted.

The International Cricket Council has faced criticism over the lack of reserve days in the group stage but said having them for every match would be “extremely complex”.