MANCHESTER: The third Twenty20 international between England and Australia at Old Trafford on Sunday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain, resulting in the T20 series ending in a 1-1 draw.
The match was scheduled to commence at 2:30 PM local time (13:30 GMT), but heavy rainfall in Manchester throughout the morning led to delays and the postponement of both the toss and the match itself.
By the early afternoon, deep puddles had formed on the pitch and square, rendering the ground unplayable.
The umpires set the official cut-off time for a minimum five-overs-per-side match at 5:46 PM (16:46 GMT). Despite a hopeful pitch inspection being planned, another downpour just before the inspection led to the match being officially abandoned at 4:18 PM (15:18 GMT).
The series had earlier seen contrasting results. Australia secured a comfortable 28-run victory in the first T20 in Southampton, with Travis Head making a rapid half-century.
England bounced back in the second T20 in Cardiff, thanks to Liam Livingstone’s impressive innings of 87, which guided the team to a win and levelled the series at 1-1.
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The washout at Old Trafford means there will be no decider in this series. Both teams will now shift their focus to the upcoming five-match one-day international series. The first ODI is set to begin on Thursday, September 19, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
England will once again be without their white-ball captain Jos Buttler for the ODI series. Buttler is still recovering from a right calf injury, which also kept him out of the T20s and The Hundred.
