Rain washes out De Villiers' 200th ODI for South Africa
AB De Villiers' 200th ODI for South Africa ended much the same way his 100th Test did; with rain forcing an abandonment, after just one over, at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday
AB De Villiers' 200th ODI for South Africa ended much the same way his 100th Test did; with rain forcing an abandonment, after just one over, at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday
Commentator: Deivarayan Muthu
6.25pm It's official! The game has been called off in Barbados. The teams split points. Australia now face a must-win clash against hosts West Indies in their final league game. West Indies, meanwhile, need to win only one of their remaining two matches of the tri-series to qualify.
Rain had the final say in AB's 100th Test. Rain has the final say in AB's 200th ODI for South Africa. Thanks for your warm company on a damp day. Good night and cheerio!
6.15pm Third inspection at 6.30pm
5.45pm Not positive news, I'm afraid. Cricket Australia tweet: "Unfortunately, nothing much to report from the pitch inspection. Umpires don't seem too confident. We'll keep you posted #AUSvSA #TriNations"
To make it worse, rain returns in Barbados.
5.15pm Hmm, seems like the pitch is still damp. Another inspection at 5.45pm. The word is that the outfield is dry. Argh! From weather watch to pitch watch.... It's been that kind of a day.
Tulsi Gyawali: "Just first over was completed when I got to bed.Now I am awake and game is exactly there where I left. Thought that it was a dream." --- Not a dream
Kamlesh Mangtan: "Let's get the match. Barbados has waited long for an ODI match. "
Yogesh: "Suction pump and vacuum cleaners too on the ground. WICB ground-staff hats off!! Rain pls don't be a villian now.." --- It isn't raining for now
FaizanAhmed: "Any signs of match starting. Waiting waiting waiting and still waiting..." ---Wait for another 30 minutes..
Gunveet : "It's almost 3 am in India, desperately hoping for some reward in the form of cricket "
Naman: "News??"
4.55pm The groundstaff are mopping up the pitch (with a hair dryer?/leaf blower) Knock! Knock! Inspection in 20 minutes - 5.15pm
Asif: "Be ready folks ... AB's blitz is on the way .... "
satish kumar : "Exciting contest.At last the wait is over and the drama is going to begin it is going to be finch and starc show #fingerscrossed."
Stephen : "If this game is rained out will it still count as AB's 200th and Parnell's 50th?" -- Of course, it will be counted
4.45pm Might be a while before the re-start. Geoff Lemon tweets: "Looks like half the pitch got wet while it was covered..." The good-length region is apparently damp.
Bikesh: "The rain also means that Starc has fewer games left to be the fastest to 100 ODI wickets! It looked like he was easily going to get there. If this game is rained out, his chances will decline."
Imran: "AB Amla Starc Morkel Maxwell stop it Anyone remember #Morris Killer hitter "
4.30pm Hurrah! The drizzle has stopped and the covers are coming off at Kensington Oval
ankesh: "GOOD NEWS FELLAS!! CRICKET AUSTRALIA TWEETED Covers coming off here at Kensington Oval. Hopefully they stay off! #AUSvSA"
Ebenezer: "Mitchell Starc's next ODI will be his 50th ODI.... "
yogeshbr: "Covers off.. Game on baby!! Starc vs Amla, Morkel vs Smith, AbD vs any1 you bring he's gonna smack it down today.... "
Fakhar: "Good to see covers getting off but Showers are 68% expected to come back at 6pm Local Time."
Stephen Kissoon: "50th ODI for Wayne Parnell as well." --- Bingo
Waqas: "Any information about overs?" --- Nothing yet
4.20pm Shakti: "Any update on the weather, anyone? " --- The drizzle continues...
Pierre: "This game rains out, then that would mean that the rain actually helped SA.... Usually it has the opposite effect for them."
4.15pm Over to football for a bit. What are the permutations for group stage qualification in Euro 2016?
A concerned aus: "What effect would a washout have on the points table?" --- I guess SA would virtually make the final, courtesy two-bonus point wins
Skander: "According cricinfo ab de villers has already played 204 matches so whey everyone is claming this match as his 200th match?" --- 200th for SA, he has played for Africa XI as well
Anesh: "My pick would be AB's match saving knock of 33 of 220 balls against the mighty Aussies on a wearing 4th and 5th day pitch. Everyone knows how dangerous he can be in shorter format; but that knock just made him a complete batsman!
yogeshbr: "Undoubtedly the fastest hunderd innings. AB scored 149 from 44 against Windies!! Had that catch not be taken he could have bettered fastest 150.. "
Mudir Gul: "I would like to see AB & Hashim facing Amir . It will be worth watching." Talking about Amir, the Pakistan quick has said that he's "terribly lucky" to return to Test cricket
Abhi: "Any Chances of Play To resume Or I Shall doze Off?" --- Stick around, mate. Rain comms are fun on ESPNcricinfo
Shlok Jain: "Looks like the milestones for ABD are jinxed. His 200th ODI and his 100th Test Match (in Bangalore last year) are/were both plagued by rain!"
3.50pm Cricket South Africa tweet: "Still a light drizzle falling at Bridgetown. #AB200 #TriNationODI"
Qureshi: "@Khizar: Amla is still on course to become Fastest to 7000. only needing 500+ in 25 innings. I hope he does. Wish him all the best!"
Vishal persaud : "Whats the update on the weather, anyone?"
Kashyap: "Favorite AB moment 79832: The image of AB on his haunches, reducing his size, to talk with ball kids beyond the boundary line. "
3.40pm Mike Haysman tweets: "Still raining in Barbados ... 3 hours and 20 mins before game will be abandoned though. Still time to clear maybe."
KISHOR: "If its 20 over match,its Maxwell show"
ali: "Wake me up when play starts or when AB comes out to bat.. Going to sleep"
ODI revamp news. he ICC is pushing for the creation of a new ODI league for the world's top 13 countries to give 50-over cricket new context and relevance, Tim Wigmore reports.
3.30pm Assad Manzoor: "Why No Updates???" -- Nothing new to report. This weather watch is argh! frustrating. It continues to rain in Barbados
HAsh: "If we get a 20 over match here. It will be worth all the wait. #fingerscrossed"
Karthikeya: "Meanwhile, Kensington Oval will be AB's and Parnell's home ground in the upcoming CPL 2016 where they will be representing Barbados Tridents."
Khizar: "These sort of rain-hit matches are hurting Hashim Amla's cause for Fastest to 7000 runs in ODIs."
This was the scene at Bridgetown a few minutes earlier
Cathy: "Player of the match: R A I N!!"
Karthikeya: "Cricket Australia have just tweeted that it's still raining :( :("
Alan: "weather update please"
Mudir Gul: "AB & Virat for Cricket as Messi & Ronaldo for Soccer. Simply No Comparison"
2.40pm The rain refuses to relent. In the meantime, what's your favourite AB moment/innings in ODIs?
DanielAlexander: "AB de Villiers 92 (70) against mighty Australia in 2007 World Cup is my favorite
Naman: "My fav AB moment? Basically every single one of them."
ZzaKaRa Pop: "My Favorite Ab best moment will come today when he will hit a ton.#fingerscrosed"
sham: "162(66) vs. west indies in sydney last year "
sagar chatterje: "he became the odi player of the year in that year 2010 "
Uzair: "My favorite moment is when he hugged a fan on Airport after that defeat in World Cup Semi Final against New Zealand"
Nick: "A game last year when he went mental against India."
Jamie Pacheco : "Best De Villiers moment? His run out of Katich in 2006 which was just absurd athleticism and only he would ever even contemplate trying it in the first place. "
hadi: "sometimes I wonder how good AB, Virat and Amla would have been had they faced Akram/McGrath for a period of 2-3 years. Would've been a real stiff test for these 3."
Our man Shashank Kishore's fav AB moment: My favourite AB moment was his run-out at the MCG when he couldn't beat Mohit Sharma's throw
Ibrahim Mallak : "The Pink ODI in Johannesburg! 2015"
sagar chatterje: "his best innings for me is is definitely his 162 off 66 against west indies in the 2015 world cup. Another innings that I rate highly was his 102 not out in 59 balls against India in the 3rd odi at ahmedabad, even though the series was already won by India. AB was 26 and he showed his mettle , took SA to 365 and showed how crucial was the toss in all those games . that series is better remembered for Tendulkar's 200 , however ab showed the same could be done when sa batted first in the last ODI. that was one hell of a knock"
Taha: "AB's fastest 100 was the best moment for me. The way he batted that day was unbelievable "
Afif: "AB is known for being the complete cricketer. I still think the 33(220) was of the highest quality of batting in this decade. Those who watched the match may know the importance of that innings. "
Avneet : "Best AB moment? WC sf 2015. Those emotions, the passion, the melancholy of losing a game. That day legend of AB went to next level"
Samrat Ahuja: "My best ABD Moment : Lad declared he wanted to become the best batsmen in the world in 4 years and relinquished his duties as wicket keeper to just concentrate on his batting, and guess what? Truly became the best player in the world!!!!"
Harendra lega : "ABD's best innings vs GL in ipl and in that inning best moment hitting DJ bravo 30 run in one over " --- We were focusing only on ODIs, but stil...
Saurav: "31 ball 100. Pink colours. AB rocks!!"
Karthikeya: "Doesn't get better than the 100 off 31 balls against West Indies. Was also good to see the UniverseBoss congratulate him first."
sahil: "Please Rain STOP ! We all want to watch AB bat."
Nil Atif: "I can't sleep without show ABD's storm!! can't wait single second... please stop Rain!!! From:- Chittagong,Bangladesh"
Mohd Irshad: "Tried few weather forecasting sites in hope that one of them would be showing sun within an hour so that we can have a game. No Luck."
Darshan Shah: "AB's saddest moment will be 2015 world cup Semi-final. Still can't forgot those tears in his eyes."
Nitin Chaudhary: "Washout is best result for WI, then they don't need to win both matches to qualify... either beat SA with bonus point or normal win against Aus can also do the trick"
Shehzad: "Has ABD played for any other country than South Africa because ABD profile shows 204 ODI and he is playing 200th ODI for SA today" --- AB has played for Africa XI
2.30pm At the Natwest T20 blast, #Universe Boss Chris Gayle combined with Mahela Jayawardene to deliver a Somerset win.
2.20pm While we wait, here is The Cricket Monthly's Photo feature: Wet, wet, wet
Nikhil Mane: "Just realized AB de Villiers' 100th Test was a rain affected one and now his 200th ODI for SA has some rain as well."
2.10pm Rain, rain, rain. It has been raining for an hour. Overs to be docked?
It has stopped raining in Bangalore, though. Well, you can catch all the live Euro action between France and Switzerland on ESPN.in
John: "After severe drought, heavy rains in Cape Town."
2pm Hmm, still raining in Barbados. The covers are on.
Morne Morkel: "He has bowled 30 overs and taken seven wickets." AB's team-mates pay tribute to him on his 200th ODI appearance for South Africa
Danish: "Raining here in Brisbane, Australia too. Someone start building an Ark..."
MU Islam: "Its raining in Rangpur, Bangladesh too. Ay ay ay Ay ay ay....Let it rain over me. Where is MR. Pitbull???"
Asim: "Raining in London, England. I'm up for building an Ark. "
sebretooth: "Update Update Update"
1.45pm Alan: "15 minutes since your last update. Are you dancing in the rain" --- Nothing much to report. It's still raining, and I'm not good at rain dances.
1.30pm : In other big news: A radical shake-up to the existing ecosystem of selling television rights is under discussion by Full Members and will be examined further at the ICC's annual conference in Edinburgh
Alan Dugand: "Raining in Nairobi too, if that's any consolation." --- If it's more consolation, our correspondent Firdose Moonda says that it has been raining over the last three days in Cape Town as well.
Niroop B R: "Speaking of pace and bounce, both teams have summed up conditions well with their teams, stocking the pace battery. Considering that series will end here in Barbados, teams can get a good momentum with their bowling."
1.20pm Still raining. Peterson, who is commentating on this series, posted this on Instagram about 10 minutes earlier.
Fayaz odho: "Ab has played 204 ODIs if 200 for SA then remaining 4 ODIs for which team?"
Our stats wiz Bharath Seervi tweets: AB de Villiers becomes the 6th player to appear in 200 or more ODIs for South Africa. Actually, this is his 205th ODI; played 5 for Afr XI.
Karthikeya: "Looking at the radar, there is light rain quickly blowing away from Bridgetown..however, expect a few more interruptions although they may not be long ones at all."
Abraham Mathew: "His 100th Test was ruined by rain. Now his 200th ODI is threatened by rain too! I think the rain gods dislike ABD's savagery toward bowlers."
1.10pm There comes a downpour. The square is covered. Will the breeze blow it away? We'll have to wait for that. The players and the officials are off. We can wait for an hour before the overs start getting docked. The word is that Barbados has good drainage. Do stick with us for all updates.
Robin Peterson, who plays for the Barbados Tridents in the CPL, called the Kensington Oval "the Wanderers of the Caribbean". We just had an over before rain intervened. But, it was an action-packed over. The pace and quickness was noteworthy.
Time to plug some reading material. Following Australia's loss in their previous game, captain Steven Smith minced no words and said: "We did not field like an Australian side." They have had a five-day break, and drilled at fielding. Usman Khawaja, who had dropped two catches, had shaken it off.
Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, has admitted to feeling a little frustrated at having to sit out of matches in the ongoing tri-series in the West Indies, but said he understood that his workload management was important with a busy season ahead.
In the numbers game, Rajesh takes us through Tahir's impact in limited-overs cricket.
Niroop: "Customary comment: I am half way across the world here in Bangalore and the rain has eased here."
Christof: "My only objection to Niroop's comment is that, frankly, I find it hard to believe that the rain has eased in Bangalore in June."
Quite an over, that. Swing, wides, delay, crisp drive, and bounce.
Starc has been up-down in all games this series.
Amla's first ball. Two slips. Starc comes from over the wicket
The lights are on
Amer: "Is it AB's 200th ODI? According to cricinfo stats, it is his 204th." --- 200th for SA
And Starc isn't happy with his landing area at the bowling crease. He roughs it up and waits for the groundstaff. Some sawdust applied. Slight hold up in play
No team has won two games in a row in the tri-series so far, and they are all tied on points. Australia and South Africa will want to be the ones moving ahead
South Africa captain AB de Villiers is pleased with the way his side has responded to pressure in the ongoing triangular ODI series in the Caribbean
AB De Villiers' 200th ODI for South Africa ended much the same way his 100th Test did; with rain forcing an abandonment, after just one over, at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday