The One-Day Cup match between Nottinghamshire and Durham on Friday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. This was supposed to be a comeback match for Alex Hales, who didn't start the season with Nottinghamshire for "personal reasons", only to be outed as serving a drug-usage ban imposed by the ECB. He was eventually dropped out of England's World Cup squad too.
"I'd like him to be involved," Notts head coach Peter Moores had said in the lead-up to this match. "Anyone who misses out on a World Cup is going to be very disappointed. "But it's how he reacts to it - I expect Alex to react in the right way."
A victory for Notts would have sealed them a playoff spot but it started raining soon after skipper Steven Mullaney elected to bowl. Due to persistent drizzle, the umpires could have an inspection only five hours after the toss. The game was eventually called off.
Despite the washout, Nottinghamshire are still placed at the No 1 spot on the table with 11 points from seven games. Durham, who were stationed at No 4 spot, managed to move up to No 3 courtesy the one point, overhauling Worcestershire in the North Group.
"We came and trained here yesterday - and speaking to the groundsman and everybody they had prepared a great pitch and done all the work, so it seems so unfair that they had a big showpiece game and the weather came and spoiled it," Moores said. "It's going to go down to the wire, we must be close to officially qualifying. It's that sort of table this year, very jammed up at the top and it will come down to the last game and we know that if we can get a win at Northampton it will guarantee us a home semi-final, which is the main thing for us to focus."
Durham head coach James Franklin: "We can't control one aspect of our sport and the weather hasn't played its part today. A lot of work has obviously gone in behind the scenes here, the first team match for Notts in Grantham, so it is disappointing that we couldn't get out there. A point today probably neither helps not hinders, it still means we have to go to Headingley on Monday and get a positive result (against Yorkshire)."