The first day of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia was washed out without a ball being bowled, because of rain at Lord's.
The toss, originally scheduled for 10.30am (local time) on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3pm, because of showers.
With rain still lashing an increasingly gloomy 'home of cricket', umpires Aleem Dar and Kiwi Chris Gaffaney finally abandoned play for the day after tea at 3:19pm.
Australia and England's squads started to warm up, and Tim Paine donned his blazer, only for further rain to ruin any hope of play.
There has yet to be a toss and the teams have not been officially named.
But Australian coach Justin Langer has confirmed Josh Hazlewood will replace rested paceman James Pattinson from the XI that defeated England by 251 runs at Edgbaston.
Langer admitted he was happy Paine didn't have to make a call on whether to bat or bowl on Wednesday.
"We had a joke there for a moment, if the captain... wins the toss, can he ask the opposition to make the choice?" Langer said.
"A couple of the umpires weren't sure, but they checked for us.
"You have to make a decision - it is going to be a tough call. Today would have been tough, we knew there was a bit of rain around.
"Some overhead conditions, the grass is wet and knowing the Dukes ball gets a bit soft when it gets a bit wet... lucky Tim didn't have to make the decision.
"We'll see how it pulls up, but it looks like a pretty good cricket wicket."
Langer suggested Hazlewood, playing his first test since suffering a back injury in January, was given the nod over Mitchell Starc because of his control.
"He's an outstanding bowler," he said. "He hits a great length.
"He's usually pretty miserly with his economy rate, that's what gave him the edge. It was a tough call."
It's the first time since 1997 there has been no play on day one of an Ashes test in England.
The forecast is much better on day two of the second test, but more showers are forecast for Friday.
The iconic venue is renowned for its efficient drainage, a combination of the 2.5m slope and work on the outfield completed in 2002.
Langer, whose team hold a 1-0 lead, after Steve Smith's matchwinning twin tons in Birmingham, is confident a result will be possible in what is now a four-day test.
"At this stage, we'll only lose two hours," he said. "So it won't affect too much.
"There'll be longer sessions we're going to have to deal with, but our guys have said all along we have to keep adapting and be ready."
AAP
