England's second one-day international against New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Wednesday after heavy rain swept through Northampton and left the pitch unfit for play. Umpires called the match off at 4.40pm after persistent showers held on through the afternoon.
The washout means England take a 1-0 lead into Saturday's third and final ODI in Cardiff, where the series will be decided before attention turns to the 20-over format. England had arrived in Northampton with a changed side after Sunday's narrow win, naming Alice Capsey after she recovered from sickness and Sophie Ecclestone after she returned from a quad problem, but neither got the chance to take the field.
The abandoned game was the latest interruption in a series that has already turned on fine margins. England edged New Zealand narrowly on Sunday, and Wednesday's no-result leaves New Zealand with no chance to level the contest before the finale in Wales. The change in venue now gives both sides one more one-day chance to settle a series that has been defined as much by selection calls as by what has happened in the middle.
Elsewhere in English cricket, Sarah Taylor has been appointed as England's men's fielding coach for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, a move Cricinfo said marked the first time a female coach had worked with a men's international team. Rob Key said Taylor had been outstanding and described her as one of the best in the business. The appointment adds another notable shift ahead of the Test summer, with England using a former international wicketkeeper in a men's setup that has rarely changed as quickly as this one.
There was also news on Liam Dawson, who has retired from first-class cricket after a long Hampshire career that produced 10,424 runs at an average of 34 and 361 wickets at 32 in red-ball cricket. Dawson returned to Test cricket last year after an eight-year absence, but did not receive another call after the draw at Old Trafford. His exit closes the book on a player who remained in the conversation even when the national side moved on without him.
For England, Wednesday was a day of waiting that ended with nothing at all. The scoreboard stayed blank in Northampton, the series moved on, and the next meaningful cricket is now set for Cardiff on Saturday.
