The Trent Bridge Take, delivered by Ambassador Cruise Line, is our alternative view of proceedings at the Test.
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England Men vs South Africa, Vitality IT20. Match abandoned.
Rain, rain, go away… come again another day. We’ve all heard it before.
One of the English language’s most enduring nursery rhymes, that generations of children have chanted, could hardly have been more appropriate on a sodden Sunday at Trent Bridge.
England and South Africa, locked on level terms ahead of what should have been a thrilling decider in Nottingham, were forced to share the spoils after persistent precipitation put paid to any prospect of play.
The rhyme itself is as old as time, with evidence of similar lyrics being spoken in ancient Rome and Greece, and the modern version goes as far back as the mid-17th century.
It is testament, therefore, to the fact that the first organised cricket matches began to take place towards the end of that century that sums up this sport’s near-constant battle with the weather.
Another famed product of the same era is Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, more commonly known as the Principia, written by the esteemed Sir Isaac Newton in 1687.
Within those pages was Newton’s Third Law of Motion - perhaps his most famous - which stated that every action, or force, has an equal and opposite reaction.
If cricket is one action, or force, then surely rain has to be the equal and opposite reaction, such is the near-symbiotic relationship between the two.
As expected from a complete washout, there was little of note to discuss as this series came to a disappointing end.
England smashed the record for a team total in a game between two full ICC members in their barely-believable 304-2 on Friday night, but neither side were able to face even one ball here.
Three Lions captain Harry Brook was denied the opportunity to make his 50th IT20 appearance in home surroundings, and he must now wait at least another five weeks, when England head to New Zealand, to do so.
Other than that, the equally knowledgeable and vociferous Trent Bridge crowd were left disappointed by the famous old Great British weather.
The fact that this Trent Bridge Take is now proudly sponsored by Ambassador Cruise Line is sweetly ironic.
The most appropriate vehicle for the outfield during an afternoon spent watching rain fall, and a subsequent abandonment without a ball bowled, would have been the flagship Ambience.
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