Summary Rain threatened to wash out the opening day of the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan.
CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - Rain threatened to wash out the opening day of the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan in Christchurch on Thursday.
The heavy rain that fell through the morning eased to frequent showers in the afternoon, but the dry spells in between were not long enough to remove the covers fully.
The umpires have made hourly inspections and each time ruled out the possibility of a start, although by the scheduled tea adjournment they had still not abandoned play for the day.
The forecast is for continuing showers on Thursday but with fine weather for the remaining four days of the Test.
Pakistan are on a high coming into the Test after crushing the West Indies last month, while New Zealand are hoping for improvement after a disastrous tour of India.
Just days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the city and devastated parts of the South Island, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq looked to cash in on a perceived lack of confidence in the New Zealand ranks after their disastrous tour of India, where they suffered a series whitewash.
But although Pakistan are on a high after crushing the West Indies last month, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson claimed his side was rejuvenated by returning to home conditions and familiar seamer-friendly wickets.
Squads:
Pakistan (From): Misbah-ul-Haq (Capt), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Imran Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz (3), Mohammad Rizwan, Rahat Ali, Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sharjeel Khan, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Younis Khan.
New Zealand (From): KS Williamson (Capt), TD Astle, TA Boult, C de Grandhomme, MJ Henry, TWM Latham, JDS Neesham, HM Nicholls, JA Raval, TG Southee, LRPL Taylor, N Wagner, BJ Watling.
