Thank you for being with us with all the rain updates that we brought you today. Both teams will next head off to Hamilton on Friday for the next game. Do join us for that game and hopefully the weather will be better and clear for that game. Stick around to our network for all the other cricketing actions across the globe.
For now, this is Ayan Chatterjee signing off on behalf of my co-commentators NinaadDixit and Megh Mandaliya alongside scorer/analysts Raju Khariya and Bishal Mandal. Stay safe, happy, and cool. Goodbye and CHEERS!
8:58 AM IST: It is official. Match has been called off due to rain. The rain has had the final say today as persistent and incessant rain has made the ground unfit to play. As we speak, it continues to rain at the Hagley Oval. Both teams will get 5 points each in the WSL standings.
8:52 AM IST: It is still raining at the Hagley Oval and we will still have an inspection at 8:55 AM IST.
7:34 AM IST: Rain continues to fall at the Hagley Oval. The cut-off time for a 20-over game is 7:02 PMLocal Time i.e. 11:32 AM IST. We have started to lose overs as more than an hour has passed since the scheduled start of play. Stay tuned for further updates.
7:02 AM IST: While the rain continues to fall in Christchurch, a gentle reminder to all. This is a must-win game for Sri Lanka not only for this series but as far as direct qualification for the World Cup is concerned. An abandoned game will mean that the Lankans will have to take the route of the Qualifiers in order to make it into the World Cup.
Henry Shipley:"It was a funny game in Auckland. I have short memory of it. reflected on it and time now to get ready for the next game. It was a tough series against India in India as we came up against quality players on flat tracks there. It's much better at home as favourable conditions do help me. The crowd got behind us well in Auckland. We are pretty relaxed. Following the scores of the Ford Cup final, had lunch and hopefully, the rain will clear and we can have some game in the late afternoon/early evening. The atmosphere is excellent and we have gelled really well with each other. Domestic Cricket has been strong in New Zealand over the years and that helps us to take confidence into the international scene."
Gary Stead (New Zealand Head Coach):"The guys have decided to stay back at the hotel. There is definitely a delayed start. Really pleased with the victory in the first match. I think whenever you have a big number of changes, you are put under pressure and the guys responded pretty well to it. The new energy or enthusiasm that has been brought into the group shone through. For us, it was about rolling our good form of Test series into One-day series but you always get differences with people in the group. Yes, the IPL has naturally given us the opportunity to see some new faces and that’s good for us. It’s just about going out there and expressing your skills."
6:02 AM IST | Here's the official confirmation. It is pouring down in Christchurch at the moment and the toss has been delayed.
5:41 AM IST | Update: Bad news folks! It has been raining persistently in Christchurch and we might have a delay in toss today. More rain is also forecasted in the latter stages of the game but as of now, the covers are firmly placed at the Hagley Oval. We will be back live with further updates.
Team Update: Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips are set to miss the remainder of this series as the duo is off to participate in the IPL.