Inclement weather ruled at Headingley as the first day of the second Investec Test between England and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Rain throughout the morning made way for bright intervals over the course of the day, only for the heavens to repeatedly open intermittently.
The upshot was that not even a toss was possible, the curtain being brought down on a miserable day at 3:55pm.
Alastair Cook's side, however, remain 1-0 up in the two-match series and will be confident of repeating their feat from Lord's, where victory was wrapped up within four days.
Pre-Play News
3:54pm - PLAY HAS BEEN ABANDONED FOR THE DAY - No more false hope; we're done, unsurprisingly. For those who have not believed me, here is a video of what we've seen at Headingley today.
3:35pm - For up-to-date information, see below entry. However, do also be aware that we've had intermittent rain in the last hour, too. It's been incredibly frustrating!
2:34pm - It's bright again, although I am not sure if that means anything. I'll let you know of any significant developments.
2:04pm - Again I've offered false hope - it's raining once more. Frustration all round.
1:54pm - The weather is taking my optimism on a real journey here. Headingley, surprisingly, is now bathed in sunshine with groundstaff back on the field. There is a lot of standing water, however; I'll bring you the latest when we have it.
1:24pm - Bad, bad news! Just as an inspection was taking place, the heavens opened again - and it's heavy stuff.
1:18pm - Say it quietly, but things are brightening up at Headingley. My latest look at the rada
r did not bring optimism, but that could be wrong! There's been no sign of an inspection as of yet.
12:37pm - The precipitation is now steady rather than heavy, yet remains.
11:50am - Well, it turns out I read them better than I thought. It is truly awful here now, with the rain extremely heavy.
11:06am - So miserable is the scene now that a group of enthusiastic schoolchildren have left the stands. Yes, it's still raining.11:26am - An early lunch will be taken at 12:30pm. I've just had a look at the radar - admittedly, I am not great at reading them - which suggests the rain will only get heavier in the next couple of hours.
10:28am - DELAYED START - I have news, but it's hardly good. We're not looking like getting under way anytime soon with 90 minutes necessary to clear the ground if it stops raining. The umpires will inspect conditions should that happen.
10:15am - There is no immediate news on whether we will toss up or start on time, but the forecast is pretty poor today. Having lived in the north my entire life, I can confirm that when meteorologists suggest it will rain, it usually does; in fact, when they suggest it will be warm it often rains too!
