When London’s infamous traffic showed its true colours on Tuesday, there was only one way forward — on two wheels. In a scene straight out of a quirky sports movie, several England cricketers ditched team buses and hopped onto Lime rental bikes, pedaling their way through the congested capital to reach The Oval in time for the third and final One-Day International against the West Indies.
The West Indies team, unfortunately, wasn’t as quick to adapt. Caught in a heavy snarl north of the Thames, their arrival at the ground was delayed, throwing a slight wrench into the day’s proceedings. With no time for warm-ups or net sessions, the Caribbean side walked straight into the dressing room moments before the scheduled toss.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued a statement just before play was supposed to begin,
“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…”
Meanwhile, England players, already at the venue thanks to their bicycle detour, stayed loose by casually kicking a football around the outfield. The pitch stayed covered, not because of rain, but simply out of precaution as the delay unfolded.
The toss, originally planned for 12:30 PM local time, was eventually held at 1:10 PM, and play got underway at 1:30 PM — with no overs lost.
England, leading 2–0 in the series after solid wins in Birmingham and Cardiff, looked to complete a clean sweep. For West Indies, the delay was far from ideal, but they hoped to finish the ODI leg on a high before shifting gears to the T20I series starting Friday.
