Wet outfield forces second Test to be called off on final day

The rain-drenched last Test between Bangladesh and South Africa in Dhaka ended in a draw after being called off on the fifth day.

It registered the first-ever series draw between the countries after rain had forced the Chittagong Test to a similar outcome.

Despite clear weather on Monday morning, the final day's play was abandoned due to a wet outfield at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The ground had taken a pounding with incessant rain over the past three days caused by the influence of cyclone 'Komen'. 

The heavy downpour left dark patches on the outfield making the final Test suffer a fate worse than the previous match with four successive washed-out days.

The last game of the month-long series saw action only on the first day. Bangladesh were 246 for 8.

It would have taken close to five hours to fix the field, unaffordable time span on the final day. No point asking the players to dive around on a muddy outfield, said umpires Richard Kettleborough and Paul Reiffel after calling the game off.

The weather had also played spoilsport in the drawn first Test in Chittagong. Only 221 overs were bowled as rain curtailed play on the second and third days before washing out the last two days.

Bangladesh’s one-off Test against India in June also ended in a draw due to torrential rain in Fatullah.