Rains stops play again in inaugural world Test match final
The inaugural World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand continues to be plagued by bad weather, with relentless rain washing out day four at the Ageas Bowl.
Like the opening day in Southampton no play at all was possible, while bad light intervened to bring an early end on Saturday and Sunday.
It all means that just 141.1 overs have been possible out of a planned 360, with the Black Caps 101 for two in reply to India's 217 all out.
There would be next to no chance of a positive result were it not for the option of a reserve day tomorrow, which will surely now be activated by the International Cricket Council, but even then there is no guarantee of avoiding the draw.
That is a regrettable scenario after two years of build-up to the showpiece finale, an event that had been billed as winner-takes-all but may now conclude with joint world Test champions and a split prize pot of £1.73million.
Meanwhile, England's one-day international series against Sri Lanka will take place in front of larger than expected crowds after being named as a UK Government test event.
Precise details on numbers have yet to be disclosed but next week's games at Durham, the Kia Oval and Bristol will not be subject to the current strict limits for outdoor events.
England have already played in one such pilot event, with over 17,000 daily fans allowed in for the Edgbaston Test against New Zealand. The whiteball series against Pakistan is also due to be part of the government's 'events research programme'.