Frustratingly the match has been called off. The sudden downpour has done its damage. With the massive puddles and poor drainage at the venue, there was a fleeting prospect of more action. Both teams will get a point.
6:55pm: Rain has thinned but the drainage is not good at Morrisville and the chances for a resumption are becoming slimmer. It looks like the umpires might call it off given the remote chances of getting the ground ready for a restart. MLC needs to work on improving and upgrading facilities at these venues for sure. Already, it's the second game where rain has played spoilsport.
Five overs must be bowled to the chasing team to constitute a match. Last time, WF were fortunate against MINY as rain arrived in the eighth over and they were four runs ahead on the DLS. Today, they'll still be the happier side to walk away with one point and remaining unbeaten at this nascent stage of the season but this situation doesn't bode well for the tournament. Let's hope there are no more called-off games
6:35pm: Light rain now and there are blue skies visible. It has got much brighter but there are some puddles forming on the ground. The ground staff will need some time to get the conditions fit for resumption. The initial forecast predicted rain for later but it came pouring down earlier. Stay tuned for further updates
It does look like Australia missed a trick by not picking Steve Smith for the World Cup. I mean, you have to use his experience, and he would have been a handful in conditions that were tough for batting. It needed experienced campaigners to battle through the conditions, tricky situations, and he could have certainly navigate through choppy waters
END OF OVER:4 | 24 Runs | WSF: 61/0 (143 runs required from 16 overs, RR: 15.25, RRR: 8.93)
- Travis Head32 (12b)
- Steven Smith26 (12b)
- Aaron Hardie1-0-24-0
- Zia-ul-Haq2-0-19-0
Andrew: "Smith seems determined to prove it was a mistake for his WC exclusion! Looks in great touch "
Karthik Sundara: "Come on Australia, Steve Smith for WT20 2026 please!"
It has started to drizzle