England v West Indies 2nd Test
U.S. journalist freed in Iran, attorney says
Heavy rain washed out the second day's play in the second Test between England and West Indies at the Riverside.
A slow-moving band of rain hit shortly before the scheduled start at 1100 BST.
And at 1605, with the covers firmly in place and the rain still lashing down, the umpires confirmed there would be no play at all for spectators on Friday.
England hit 302-2 on day one after opting to bat first, with Essex batsmen Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara each hitting centuries on a slow wicket.
The washout was a blow to organisers, only a day after just 5,000 spectators watched the action on Thursday - again raising the question of why May Test matches are scheduled in summers packed with so much more enticing international action.
Geoffrey Boycott was angry with the state of pitch, which gave the bowlers so little encouragement, and the decision to choose the Durham venue for an international match so early in the season.
The England batting great told BBC Sport: "This can't be the same sort of pitch on which Durham won the County Championship last year, because the ball moved around a little bit and it was spicy and interesting for bowlers and batsmen.
"Why are you having Test matches in the very north of England at this time of year? You've got to be wrong in your head. Everyone in the country knows it's warmer down south. They've not come because it's too cold to sit.
"Administrators don't care, they're only interested in television revenue. It's bad for cricket because it doesn't look good. Give the television, the radio, the sponsors some money back and let's all gear up for the Ashes and make it a promotional man's dream - but no, it's money gone mad."
The forecast for Saturday morning is much better, but showers could arrive in the afternoon - and there is further uncertainty about the weather for Sunday and Monday. It is unfortunate for Durham, where the weather has been good for much of the early season.
Meanwhile, the county believes the prices of tickets, ranging from £30 to £60, could be reduced but it is prevented from doing so because of the bidding process to stage international events.
"Clearly, the tickets are not flying out of the door," conceded chief executive David Harker in an interview before the Test started. "You have to look at their price and wonder whether maybe we have reached the limit of that. 606: DEBATE
The paymasters of this hapless merry-go-round are the broadcasters. Expect them to slash their payments in future if Test cricket in May continues to prove such a turn-off
BBC Sport's Oliver Brett
"They are set in conjunction with the ECB, and the challenge is that we have to bid for the games. That bid has the function of deciding the size of ticket price.
"If the game were to move to looking at lower-priced tickets - which I would certainly support - that has to be reflected in the bidding process as well."
Ticket-holders for Friday's play are entitled to free entry on any of the three remaining days of the match.
The ECB was forced to defend itself after choosing to start the Lord's Test on a Wednesday. That finished in three days, meaning refunds for thousands who had bought tickets in advance for the weekend.
Chris Gayle may not have minded missing out on Friday. The West Indies captain revealed in the lead-up to the match that he would not be sorry to see the death of Test cricket. Tomorrow is supposed to be a sell-out and that's a great achievement for the club
Paul Collingwood
But England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, a Durham player, said the low-key atmosphere had to be put to one side.
"Our focus as players is to go out and perform for England," he told TMS. "It never enters our minds that this a dull day. This is Test match cricket and our approach and attitude is to go out and perform and try to win games.
"It would be great to get the ground at least three-quarters full but with the way things are at the moment and the way the weather was you are going to have a few empty seats.
"Saturday is supposed to be a sell-out and that's a great achievement for the club."
A slow-moving band of rain hit shortly before the scheduled start at 1100 BST.
And at 1605, with the covers firmly in place and the rain still lashing down, the umpires confirmed there would be no play at all for spectators on Friday.
England hit 302-2 on day one after opting to bat first, with Essex batsmen Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara each hitting centuries on a slow wicket.
The washout was a blow to organisers, only a day after just 5,000 spectators watched the action on Thursday - again raising the question of why May Test matches are scheduled in summers packed with so much more enticing international action.
Geoffrey Boycott was angry with the state of pitch, which gave the bowlers so little encouragement, and the decision to choose the Durham venue for an international match so early in the season.
The England batting great told BBC Sport: "This can't be the same sort of pitch on which Durham won the County Championship last year, because the ball moved around a little bit and it was spicy and interesting for bowlers and batsmen.
"Why are you having Test matches in the very north of England at this time of year? You've got to be wrong in your head. Everyone in the country knows it's warmer down south. They've not come because it's too cold to sit.
"Administrators don't care, they're only interested in television revenue. It's bad for cricket because it doesn't look good. Give the television, the radio, the sponsors some money back and let's all gear up for the Ashes and make it a promotional man's dream - but no, it's money gone mad."
The forecast for Saturday morning is much better, but showers could arrive in the afternoon - and there is further uncertainty about the weather for Sunday and Monday. It is unfortunate for Durham, where the weather has been good for much of the early season.
Meanwhile, the county believes the prices of tickets, ranging from £30 to £60, could be reduced but it is prevented from doing so because of the bidding process to stage international events.
"Clearly, the tickets are not flying out of the door," conceded chief executive David Harker in an interview before the Test started. "You have to look at their price and wonder whether maybe we have reached the limit of that. 606: DEBATE
The paymasters of this hapless merry-go-round are the broadcasters. Expect them to slash their payments in future if Test cricket in May continues to prove such a turn-off
BBC Sport's Oliver Brett
"They are set in conjunction with the ECB, and the challenge is that we have to bid for the games. That bid has the function of deciding the size of ticket price.
"If the game were to move to looking at lower-priced tickets - which I would certainly support - that has to be reflected in the bidding process as well."
Ticket-holders for Friday's play are entitled to free entry on any of the three remaining days of the match.
The ECB was forced to defend itself after choosing to start the Lord's Test on a Wednesday. That finished in three days, meaning refunds for thousands who had bought tickets in advance for the weekend.
Chris Gayle may not have minded missing out on Friday. The West Indies captain revealed in the lead-up to the match that he would not be sorry to see the death of Test cricket. Tomorrow is supposed to be a sell-out and that's a great achievement for the club
Paul Collingwood
But England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, a Durham player, said the low-key atmosphere had to be put to one side.
"Our focus as players is to go out and perform for England," he told TMS. "It never enters our minds that this a dull day. This is Test match cricket and our approach and attitude is to go out and perform and try to win games.
"It would be great to get the ground at least three-quarters full but with the way things are at the moment and the way the weather was you are going to have a few empty seats.
"Saturday is supposed to be a sell-out and that's a great achievement for the club."
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8:39 AM
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