The start of the deciding one-day international between England and the West Indies at The Oval was pushed back thirty minutes on Tuesday after both the teams got stuck in heavy road traffic north of the river.
England’s players abandoned their own grid-locked team bus and completed the journey on hired Lime Bikes, were already warming up on the outfield when the delay was announced.
The bus with the West Indies team onboard, belatedly arrived at around 12.40pm, with the toss delayed by 40 minutes to 1.10pm and the start pushed back to 1.30pm.
“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,” an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement confirmed. “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 were on the bus for a while, then we all decided to get off and get on some Lime bikes,” said England captain Harry Brook at the toss. “We arrived earlier than the West Indies boys and we are good to go.”
Highlighting the improvised commute, the ECB posted a short video on X with the caption: “Arriving at the ground in style. Only one way to beat the road closures in London,” showing the England squad cycling through the capital towards The Oval.
A parallel note from Surrey Cricket echoed the situation, stating that “one of the playing teams” was “stuck in heavy traffic north of the river” and that updated timings would follow once both squads were present.
Motorists in London spent an average of 101 hours stuck in traffic last year — a 2 per cent rise compared to the previous year — reinforcing the capital’s reputation for chronic congestion, according to The Guardian.
The toss was held 40 minutes late at 1:10 pm GMT, with the first ball rescheduled for 1:40 pm — a 30-minute overall delay.
England, unchanged for the third straight match, won the toss and chose to bowl first in overcast conditions.
England already holds an unassailable 2-0 lead after victories at Edgbaston and Cardiff — wins that also secured the three-match series after successes in Birmingham and Cardiff last week.
