18:15 IST: Weather Updates — More bad news! The rain is still persistent at Old Trafford, and the forecast for the rest of the day isn’t great either.
* STAT: West Indies have won 5 Tests against England in Manchester till now:

17:30 IST: LUNCH BREAK! It’s time for lunch break on the third day of the second Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. And it means the first session has been washed out due to rain.
* BREAKING NEWS: Jofra Archer available for third Test. A disciplinary hearing decided to hand him a fine and a written warning for his bio-security breach.

17:20 IST: Weather Updates — The status remains the same. It’s still raining in Manchester.
17:00 IST: Weather Updates — Rain has slowed down a bit in Manchester, but it hasn’t stopped fully. We should expect official news on lunch soon.
Ben Stokes 5th to complete the double of 10 hundreds and 150 wickets in Tests

“If we do get washed out today it is quite obvious what we need to do to win the game. We need to bowl them out cheaply in the first innings and try and get them following on. There is no reasons why we cannot do that. Obviously, it’s going to be a big work load for the bowlers but we are nice and fresh and hopefully we can do something for the team.” – England seamer Sam Curran

Sam Curran using an umbrella before the start of play on Day 3. (Reuters Photo)
* 16:40 IST: The only good news coming in is that the forecast is much better for the next two days (Sunday and Monday). So, we still can potentially have a great finish to this contest.
* 16:25 IST: Weather Updates — No change in status as it continues to rain in Manchester.
* 16:10 IST: Weather Updates — It’s still raining steadily in Manchester. And the prospects of any action before lunch appeared unlikely.
As we wait for more updates on Manchester weather, let’s read what Ben Stokes said about Jofra Archer:
“We really need to be there to support Jofra right now. Obviously he’s a big talking point and he is by himself because of everything else going on at the moment. It’s making sure that it doesn’t feel like he’s by himself. The worst thing we could do right now as a team is just leave him and see him in five or six days’ time. It’s all good being there for people when things are going well and smoothly but what really comes through is how you operate with someone when they need you the most.”
* Rain delays start of Day 3
Poor weather has delayed the start of the third day of the second Test with the West Indies trailing England by 437 runs at Old Trafford in Manchester. Kraigg Brathwaite (6*) and nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph (14*) were due to resume after the West Indies reached 32/1 at the close on the second day. England had declared their first innings on 469/9. Rain has been forecast for much of the day in Manchester.
* 15:30 IST: Weather Updates — It’s very cloudy over Old Trafford right now. We can expect a long delay today.

* 15:20 IST: UPDATES — We will have a delayed start today. The covers are firmly on at Old Trafford.

* 15:10 IST: Weather Updates — The conditions in Manchester are not good. The forecast for rain was accurate and the wet weather will have a say in today’s proceedings for sure.
* 15:00 IST:Bad News! It’s raining in Manchester.
* Check out Day 2 highlights below:

Welcome once again to Timesofindia.com’s continued coverage of international cricket‘s return after the forced COVID-19 break. The ongoing three-match Test series between England and West Indies is well into the second Test, where the Joe Root-led hosts have their noses in front heading into day three today at Old Trafford.
Day-2 Recap: Ben Stokes’ impressive 176 took England to an imposing first-innings score of 469/9 declared. After that, the West Indies faced a tricky hour to bat until stumps and lost John Campbell to the recalled Sam Curran to end the day at 32-1.
In England’s impressive first innings led by Stokes, Dom Sibley too scored a century (120) and put on 260 runs with Stokes after England had been in trouble at 81-3. Off-spinner Roston Chase starred for the Windies with a five-wicket haul (5/172).
Sibley’s hundred was one of the slowest in Tests by an England batsman, the opener batting for 471 minutes — nearly eight hours — to complete a 312-ball century featuring a mere 5 fours.