7.02 pm: And the game's off. The weather has been ghastly all day apart from a short interval during which we had three overs of play. England take the series 4-0 but they don't move up to No. 2 in the rankings. They needed a 5-0 sweep for that. It is still a memorable success for Kevin Pietersen in his first full series in charge. Not many people gave England a chance coming into the contest, but they have swept all before them. The real test will be how they perform in India, during November, and that should be a fascinating series.

Well that's just about that for the English international season. Some of the players now get a long break before the Stanford Super Series in late October, while some go back to their counties for the thrilling finish of the Championship season. From everyone who has provided commentary over the summer (or what passed as one at any rate) it's goodbye.

7.00 pm: The latest play can start is around 8.00 pm and the weather hasn't improved so we're close to an abandonment.

6.40 pm: Right, while we wait for the last rites of this sorry contest, here's something to perk you all up - one last chance to win a signed copy of Marcus Trescothick's autobiography. The winners will be announced in the coming days.

By the way, there's hardly anyone at the Sophia Gardens now. It's bucketing down.

5.47 pm: Rain seems to have stopped AGAIN. A lot of covers still on, some mopping up going on, but it will still be a while before anymore action.

Julian's dug up a gem from the archives. Nasser Hussain rated Pietersen way back in 1999.

"I've never bowled 55 overs in an innings in my life but I enjoyed bowling every ball," said a tired but happy Pietersen shortly after play was abandoned due to bad light with nine overs still to be bowled. "Before the match I set goals for myself. The first was to go for about two-and-a-half runs an over and pick up one or two wickets. The second was to try and get three or four wickets in the second innings. Nasser actually chatted to me out on the field, and he said he wanted to have a chat to me after the game. Obviously, I'm thrilled by his interest. It was really competitive out there and I really had to think on my feet all the time."

Peter Roebuck has written an excellent article on Pietersen. If you like this story you could share it with friends by clicking on the button at the bottom.

"In regard to Peter Roebuck's comments relating to Pietersen, I feel that only after Pietersen has had a 'baptism of fire' in the forthcoming Indian series, can he be truly judged as a captain, and not before then," says Jack.

5.35 pm: Well, hopes of starting at 5.45 pm have flown out of the window. It's pelting down now.

"If this match is rained off, does England go second in the world rankings because we will have won the series without losing a game - or do we have to score five actual victories to go second?" asks Graham. It has to be 5-0.

5.15 pm: They are inspecting "but the square looks as brown as mud," says Andrew. However, the weather is brighter. Play will restart at 5.45 pm. The covers are back on, though, another shower might be on the way.

4.52 pm: The rain has eased but it's rather wet underfoot. The umpires - Mr Taufel and Mr Llong - are having a look. They've decided to inspect the conditions once again at 5.15 pm.

"Wales averages 4.9 inches of rainfall in the month of September, while England averages 2.9 inches. What did they expect?" asks David who went to Wikipedia to look up that information.

4.43 pm: And It's begun to rain. The players have gone off and the groundstaff are bringing on the covers. It's quite a heavy shower. The are taking a while to cover the pitch and the square.

"This is utterly filthy, and the covers are nowhere near on," adds Andrew. "And lo and behold, there's blue sky rolling in. This summer is crazy."

You could spend the break watching Cricinfo TV.

It's got dark at Sophia Gardens. "Armageddon is about to tap us on the shoulder," says Andrew

The sun's disappeared behind a few clouds now.