Rain threatens triangular series final

AMSTERDAM: Organisers were left banking on the Dutch weather to spare Saturday's final of the triangular cricket tournament after deciding against altering the fixture schedule in a bid to beat the rain that has marred this warm-up event for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.

Wednesday's final group match between world champions Australia and Pakistan at the VRA Ground, in Amstelveen, just outside Amsterdam, where all matches in the competition are being played, was washed out without a ball being bowled some 90 minutes before the scheduled 0830 GMT start.

The result ended India's lingering hopes of qualifying for Saturday's final which will instead feature Australia and Pakistan.

Beaten by Pakistan by 66 runs in last Saturday's rain-affected tournament opener, India had seen their second match, against Australia on Monday, washed out at the half-way stage.

However, after Wednesday's no-result, a meeting then took place between organisers and representatives of all three teams at an Amsterdam hotel.

The possibility of either replaying or rescheduling matches was discussed amidst speculation that the event broadcaster, who paid a reported six million dollars for the rights, was pressing for more cricket.

But after talks lasting several hours Hugo Nelissen, the tournament media officer, insisted only representatives from the three competing teams and organisers the KNCB (the Dutch Cricket Board) had been involved.

"The long meeting took place was because they wanted more cricket. But for a variety of reasons the status quo will remain the status quo," Nelissen told reporters after discussions ended.

"Of course, there is the weather. The various forecasts are not giving us too much confidence. The head groundsman has serious doubts about getting more cricket at the ground.

"You've all seen that the ground can have some rain but it just couldn't have that much rain. So basically he (the groundsman) is saying give me time to give the ground the cricket it deserves and that is the final.

"That means everything remains as it was. Australia and Pakistan are therefore playing the final on Saturday."

Nelisson added that spectators who had bought tickets for Wednesday's match would be allowed entry for Saturday's game provided they came to the main ticket box-office at the ground.

But he stressed that the no-refund policy (the KNCB's only income from the event is gate receipts with the rest of the proceeds split between the teams) still applied.

The additional match between the Netherlands and Pakistan remains scheduled for Monday.

As Nelissen was speaking, the sun was shining brightly just as it had done on several occasions during the tournament after matches had been abandoned.

That was a sight all three teams here may have to get used to in England, where India start a three-match series on Tuesday, a country widely regarded as the spiritual home of rained-off matches.