ENG vs WI: England players arrive on cycles; WI team bus delayed due to London traffic

India Today

2 days ago

The start of the third One-Day International between England and the West Indies at The Oval was delayed on Tuesday due to an unexpected traffic jam that held up the visiting team's arrival. On the other hand, some England players rode Lime rental bikes to the venue, navigating the congested London streets on two wheels.While England entered the final ODI with a 2–0 lead and the chance to complete a clean sweep, the build-up to the match took an unusual turn. With the West Indies team stuck north of the river in heavy traffic, several England squad members took matters into their own hands — or rather, onto their handlebars—pedaling to the ground to avoid similar delays.Arriving at the ground in styleOnly one way to beat the road closures in London pic.twitter.com/2xrSPypnQD— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 3, 2025advertisementThe England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement ahead of the toss: 'Due to a delayed arrival of one of the playing teams, who are stuck in heavy traffic north of the river, the scheduled start of play will be delayed. Once all members of the playing teams arrive, the match officials will coordinate updated timings and discuss any impact on the schedule of play. We will update spectators with the schedule of play as soon as we are able to.'
The delay meant West Indies could not warm up or train in the nets before the toss. They confirmed their late arrival on X (formerly Twitter), posting:'Due to heavy traffic delays, our team arrived moments before the previously scheduled toss time.'Meanwhile, live visuals showed England players kicking a football around to stay loose. West Indies players remained in the dressing room upon arrival. As a precaution, the pitch and square were kept under cover, despite no rain at the time.advertisementThe toss, originally slated for 12:30 PM local time (5:00 PM IST), was pushed to 1:10 PM (5:40 PM IST), with the match set to begin at 1:30 PM (6:00 PM IST), assuming weather remains cooperative. No overs are expected to be lost.England, having secured convincing wins in Birmingham and Cardiff, are eyeing a 3–0 series triumph. The West Indies will look to finish the ODI leg on a high before the three-match T20I series begins on Friday.