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A bizarre incident in the ongoing India vs England bilateral series. The toss for the fifth and final T20I match of the series did not take place at the scheduled time as the Indian cricket team was unable to reach the venue on time.
Why did the team reach the ground late? The reason is interesting. As per reports from Southampton, the team was running late due to heavy traffic on the road.
Toss delayed for the India vs England 5th T20I in Southampton
The coin was scheduled to fly for a flip at 6.30 in the evening, as per Indian Standard Time. As the visitors were late reaching the venue, which is the Ageas Bowl, the time for the toss is being pushed back, and the match is expected to start late as well from the scheduled time.
While commentating for Sky Sports Cricket, former cricketer-turned commentator Simon Doull explained why only the England cricket team was on the ground, warming up for the match. In a bit of an animated voice, Doull said that the visitors were stuck in traffic.
"A bit of an update for you on the men's encounter to take place this afternoon in Southampton. Some shots of the England men warming up the bowl in Southampton, but you won't see any sign of India. They're stuck in traffic; the start has been delayed, so stay with us here if you were thinking of moving over to watch that," Simon Doull said about the delay in the match.
England vs India 5th IT20 start delayed as the India team are stuck in traffic ⏳ pic.twitter.com/RCc3dC4R6n
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 11, 2026
The 5-match T20I series is already claimed by England
The fifth and final match of the series has turned into a dead rubber on paper as the home team has already clinched the contest by winning three matches in a row, after a rain-washed match in Durham. If England claims another win, the series will be concluded with a 4-0 scoreline.
Before squaring off with the Three Lions, the Men in Blue were against Ireland in Belfast, where they suffered another T20I series defeat; back-to-back T20I series defeats for the winner of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Under the newly appointed captain in the format, the away team is yet to get its first win.
England could be the No.1 team in T20Is
In the previous match at Trent Bridge, Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the touring team, performed well with the bat, but as he lacked support from the others in the line-up, the team suffered another defeat by a big margin.
If the Harry Brook-led team is able to capture tonight's match as well, then they could be the new number one team in the ICC team rankings for the T20I format, replacing the Men in Blue. Because of repeated defeats, Iyer and Co. will slip to second if they go down again against England tonight.
Ahead of the match, Harry Brook said that his team would go for another win to claim the top spot on the ladder.
