England’s one-day international against New Zealand on Wednesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
Following their narrow-squeak win in Sunday’s game, England had named a new-look XI at Northampton which contained both Alice Capsey and Sophie Ecclestone. Capsey is now fully recovered from a bout of sickness, while Ecclestone’s inclusion was particularly welcome news as it suggests the quad problem which kept her out of Sunday’s match will not be a problem in next month’s T20 World Cup.
However, after hours of back-and-forth between the groundstaff and the covers, persistent showers through the afternoon forced the umpires to call off the match at 4.40pm.
The series concludes at Cardiff on Saturday before the focus switches to the 20-over format.
Match abandoned
In an early contender for Least Surprising Event of the 2026 Cricket Summer, the match has been abandoned without a ball bowled.
It means England will take a 1-0 lead into the third and final ODI at Cardiff on Saturday. The forecast is… okay.
