Left field

Thunderous rain and the unrelenting inclement conditions are threatening to turn the third Ashes test into a washout rather than the pivotal point of a see-sawing series it should be.

The third day was abandoned without a ball being bowled in anger.

I’ve seen less water at the world swimming championships than I have at Edgbaston, where the best part of two days out of three have been lost so far.

And there we were in May bemoaning the early scheduling of the test series against West Indies. Cold to the point of frostbite yes, but no days were lost to rain.

You have to feel for the ground staff who have been ploughing relentlessly back and forth over the Edgbaston pitch in an attempt to get the surface fit for test match cricket, only for the rains to come rolling through like a bad joke to spoil their efforts.

Whereas heavy rain on day one was followed by sunshine and gusty winds, aiding the drying of the outfield, the overhead conditions on day three only added to the ground staff’s, players’ and fans’ torment.

Frustration will be felt most in the England camp, who will have thought they held the upper hand following a second day which they dominated from start to finish with both bat and ball, and for Andrew Strauss, stranded two-thirds towards another Ashes century.

Australia may look on Saturday as a gift from the Gods that could enable them to escape a potentially damaging defeat. But they can use what time there is left in the game to put some real pressure on the English batsmen and attempt to locate the form and luck of bowler Mitchell Johnson.

With all this time lost, exactly what do players do during rain breaks?

Rather than eating and sleeping like most players, former Middlesex captain Ed Smith wrote books while ex-England spinner Phil Edmonds used the time to build a business empire to which he eventually retired.

Expect more time to be lost on Sunday as the groundsmen continue the clean-up operation. If the weather is good, I would think a start at around 1 or 2 pm is most likely, given the amount of rain to have fallen already, but will there be enough time left to force a result?

PHOTO: Ground staff work on the outfield after the third Ashes cricket test match between England and Australia was abandoned because of rain at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England August 1, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples