First ODI between South Africa and West Indies washed out without a toss

The first ODI between South Africa and West Indies in East London was washed out without a toss. The venue, that was set to host its first men’s international game since the pandemic, witnessed intermittent rain through the day.

Play was eventually called off at 4.35pm local, almost four hours after the original start time of 12.30pm. There was rain when the teams entered the stadium, and even though there were a few brief dry spells, there wasn’t enough time to dry the outfield before rain returned.

The two teams meet again at the same venue on Saturday, for which the weather forecast appears promising. The third and final ODI of the series will be in Potchefstroom next Tuesday.