8.10pm: Inspection time... Match abandoned! That was quick. Clearly once the umpires had popped on the goggles and breathing gear for a look, it was apparent they wouldn't be getting the ground cleaned up in the next hour. At least those following from Pakistan, where it is now just past midnight, can get to bed. We'll be back to try again at The Oval in two days' time (where, whisper it, the forecast again isn't too flash). Thanks for your comments, from myself, Danyal and Thilak, it's goodnight. Bye!
7.55pm: Some news, courtesy of Matt: "8.10 inspection if no further rain… but it is raining." Well, I didn't say if it was good or bad
"There is a live webcam, 100 meters from the ground - doesn't look so bad at the moment." Thanks, Robert, this is the sort of feedback gold we're after. Although, 1) if that's the city centre, it's slightly more than 100m from the ground; and 2) it still looks pretty murky, if not raining hard enough for umbrellas to be up
"That article is from 9 years ago... whatever happened to their plans for building one?" Just check the exact date it was published on, Amit
7.50pm: Hello again. On the subject of roofs on cricket stadiums, let me point you in the direction of this classic piece of reporting...
It's approaching midnight here, so why doesn't Alan take over to tell you about the economics of a retractable roof at Sophia Gardens?
Minty: "Has the intensity of the rain gone down, or is it still going strong?" By all accounts it's just holding steady.
Tanveer : "Danyal Bhai tomorrow is a working day please help us to know whether we should sleep or just keep on waiting?" If I had confirmation I'd love to tell you. Think it's increasingly likely we're heading towards a washout, but not official yet
Aravind : "Guys, there is no point in scheduling matches in the European region anymore. I'm living in Luxembourg and we've literally had less than 10 days of sun this year. And I'm being generous about that number. " I'm not currently aware of any major cricketing events planned in Gasperich in the current FTP cycle.
shahid: "any update about over reduction or cut off time?" The cut-off time is 9.16pm, exactly two hours from now
7.00pm: "Still raining," says Matt. "Not optimistic."
Asim Hamza: "Given the kind of weather the UK has, the British should have invented swimming, not cricket." Swimming's wiki page seem to suggest the English have a (somewhat far-fetched) claim to that, too.
If it helps your mood, Matt helpfully chips in to say the forecast for Kennington on Thursday, where the fourth T20I will be held, has a lightning bolt scheduled an hour before the toss.
In any case, hello, chaps. I hear the weather hasn't entirely been to your liking?
Zayaan: "Let's hope that Danyal's entry brings some sunlight on Sophia Gardens. Danny, Have you got some magic in you?" Well, it's been 45 degrees and sunny in Lahore where I'm sat the past few days. I haven't been able to do a thing about that, if that answers your question..
6.30pm: This is the latest from the ground from Matt: "Still going, fair few umbrellas up in the crowd. The local intel is that the drainage here is pretty quick..."
With which cheery news I will hand you over to Danyal Rasool for the next wee while
6.20pm: Still looking pretty bleak at Sophia Gardens. The rain may have eased a touch but it's coming down pretty steadily. Sounds like we might have about three hours to go until the cut-off for getting in a 5-overs-a-side thrash
"Alan, while it's raining in Cardiff, can you explain how the groups will be made in 'Super 8' stage of World Cup? I've read that it is going to be based on seeding and not based on the finished position of top two teams of each group." That is correct, Ali Hassan. They have been pre-determined - mainly to help fans planning to buy tickets, I believe
5.59pm: Toss delayed, it's all a bit damp in Cardiff. Pictures from the ground confirm it is raining the wet stuff, umbrellas are up and the covers firmly in place. There is some optimism that it might clear up later on (if you steer clear of Miller's output), so don't go anywhere - other than to make a brew
"About 4000 Miles away from the Stadium, the sky is clear here in Kuwait. When will the match begin Chacha Alan ??" When conditions are playable, Mustafa Moudi. Suspect even under a clear Kuwaiti sky it would take some time for Sophia Gardens to dry out
"Hello Alan, sorry to ask about a different format question but how do you see Cardiff as a test venue in future?" Hi Badar. I don't think it's likely to be in the mix in the near future. The ECB has rowed back from staging Tests in Cardiff and Chester-le-Street - with Southampton the only new kid likely to via with the traditional Test grounds
"If match is gonna happen. Who will lead England today?" It will be Moeen Ali doing the pointing and shouting (maybe not so much), Azweer
5.55pm: No official word yet about the toss but I'm not feeling optimistic. Perhaps because my editor, Andrew Miller, has been tweeting his trademark prognostications about the chances of play
5.25pm: Matt's next update is less encouraging: "Raining now, fairly steadily." Could be another one of those evenings...
"About 1 mile from stadium," reports Amir. "It is light drizzle and will remain like this for next 2 hours. Not sure if this is good enough for the game to carry on."
"What's weather report, could it be washout like the first one or going to be complete 20s, or not." Could be either of the above, Zeeshan, or even somewhere in between. That's the beauty of the weather sport
majid bhatti: "Hi @Alan Gardner, Why don't you just type and don't show up the pic of ground, may be in future release of cricinfo ?"
5.15pm: The latest from Matt is that "the hover cover is going on, but it's not currently raining." Still 45 minutes until toss time. While we sit and wait and cross our fingers, some bits and bobs to get you up to speed. Jos Buttler is confirmed as absent for this game, with his wife set to give birth - no news yet on whether he will be back for the final game of the series on Thursday at The Oval. And Haris Rauf spoke about his return from injury in the first T20I, with Pakistan hoping to bounce back tonight after what has so far been a choppy build-up to their World Cup
Here's Nabil Khan: "So Imad Wasim will be playing on his home-ground !!! The boy from Wales." Indeed, Swansea's finest. I was there when he became the first Welshman to take a wicket in a Cardiff international back in 2016
4.45pm: Hello everyone. And hello Wales! Who's looking forward to Euro 2024? Just kidding... thanks for that, Rishi. You're here, of course, for the cricket. And fingers crossed there will be some to look forward to. The forecast for Cardiff is a bit dodgy but we seem to be in a clear patch right now. Matt Roller has wandered along the Taff early and has this: "At the ground. It's very windy which can't hurt drying and the cover is off the pitch (which looks very green)." So fingers crossed things stay like that and everything is shipshape for the toss in just over an hour
