LONDON: May 2023 was one of the driest Mays in recent recorded UK history. The Met Office’s official blog wrote at the beginning of June: “... only 55% of expected rainfall was recorded (39mm), compared with the long-term average from 1991-2020. This makes May 2023 one of the driest Mays in recent times...”
This type of data is relevant before a big final like the one beginning at The Oval in a little over eight hours. From this, one may infer that the pitch could be on the drier side, for starters. But India will have to take other factors into cognisance.
While Rohit Sharma doesn’t think the early start will have a huge effect on the conditions (the final is slated to begin at 10.30 AM local time, a good 30 minutes before the usual starting time), the overhead conditions is one to keep an eye on.
While spring is over in the UK, the mornings are still cold and windy. On both Monday and Tuesday, the sun didn’t come out well into the afternoon and there was a genuine chill in the air (once it came out, it remained bright and sunny till well into the evening). The forecast itself is for a clear start to the Test rain-wise before a prediction for wet weather over the weekend.