Rain had the final say as the third and final Test between England and the West Indies ended in a draw at Edgbaston on Tuesday morning.
In a match where three days out of a possible five were washed out, it was no surprise neither side had got in a position to force victory.
And, after yet more rain, the umpires finally called the game off shortly before 3:15pm local time (12:15am AEST) following no play at all on the final day.
The draw gave England, who had already retained the Wisden Trophy, a 2-0 win in this three-match series after five-wicket and nine-wicket wins at Lord's and Trent Bridge respectively.
Overnight, England was 5 for 221 in reply to the West Indies' first innings 426, a deficit of 205 runs and needing a further 56 to avoid the follow-on.
Ian Bell, attempting to become the first Warwickshire batsman to score a Test hundred on his Edgbaston home ground, was left on 76 not out and nightwatchman Steven Finn 0 not out.
West Indies' total owed much to Tino Best's whirlwind 95, the highest score ever by a Test match number 11 batsman.
Best faced just 112 balls with a six and 14 fours on Sunday's fourth day.
Together with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, who made 107 not out, Best shared a partnership of 143 - the third highest 10th wicket stand in Test history and a West Indies record.
And, before Sunday's close, fast bowler Best removed both England captain Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Bairstow.
England, with the series already won, controversially chose to rest first-choice new-ball pairing James Anderson and Stuart Broad from this match.
In their places came fellow seamers Graham Onions and Finn.
Durham quick Onions, who two years ago suffered a career-threatening back injury, took 4 for 88 runs in 29.3 overs, with Finn managing 3 for 109 in 32.
After this match, England and the West Indies play three one-day internationals and a stand alone Twenty20, starting with Saturday's 50-over clash at Southampton.
The West Indies will warm-up for the limited overs fixtures with a one-day game against Middlesex at Lord's on Wednesday.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, england First posted June 12, 2012 08:05:18
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