5.35pm That's that. The weather has the final say. Madushka informs us that the match between Australia and Sri Lanka has been called off. No reserve day for the league games, so the points will be shared.
5.20pm Another drenched update from Madushka: "Looking at how much rain has fallen, I'd venture it'd take at least an hour and a half to get the ground ready for play. So yeah, if rain doesn't stop in the next hour, really don't see us getting any play."
And please welcome back Shashank after his ice cream break.
5pm The latest visuals look even more damp - still raining in Colombo with the dark blue covers spread out in all their glory. Let's hope we get some action today as the overs continue to get reduced. Some of the younger Sri Lanka players are peeking from the dressing room, Megan Schutt and Alyssa Healy have wrapped themselves in big towels in dugout because it's quite windy out there. Let's hope this rain reduces soon!
"Ind Pak is also happening on same ground tomorrow?" That's right, Deepak
4.40pm Madushka, the man at the ground, brings some more bad news: "Absolutely pelting down. Clouds seem angry."
4.30pm Greetings, everyone. This is Vishal Dikshit now as Shashank has taken an ice cream break. We started losing overs, by the way, an hour after the scheduled start of play which was 4pm local time. It continues to rain in Colombo and the ground is completely covered, in case you were wondering.
Some news also coming in from the New Zealand camp that's parked in Indore: Left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire has been ruled out of the World Cup with an injury and they've recalled seamer Hannah Rowe as her replacement.
For those asking, the cut-off time for a 20-overs-a-side contest is 8.08pm . The rain has really picked up.
3.42pm Visuals don't look great. And they mirror Asanka's thoughts. "It was melting hot up until yesterday & today pouring down. I"m not sure we have any cricket today. If any, will be a magic."
And Madushka adds: "Rain seems to have gotten harder now. Or maybe it's just that I can see it clearer now with the floodlights on!" -- Time to dig into the coconut macaroons, my friend. Enjoy it.
Andrew Fidel Fernando previews today's fixture:
Kartik Kannan kicks off our comments feedback today. He asks: "are Aussie women more vulnerable in a chase against spinners? That must be the only ray of hope for Sri Lanka." -- I'd think Sri Lanka's best chance is to get in early, have them 4-5 down and strangle with spin to set up a smallish chase.
Surath: "Will we see helicopters coming to try and dry the ground today?" -- Don't think it's that torrential.
Elsewhere, India's selectors (men) have taken a big call. They've appointed a new ODI captain.
3.08pm Madushka's latest update is a bit of a dampener. "Gotten gloomier and the drizzle has started again," he says. "Ground back to being fully covered, while there was also some ominous rumbling over head. Lack of sunshine more worrying than the rain at this point though, as drying the ground seems to be a big concern."
FWIW: the floodlights have come on too, presumably in an attempt to help with the drying.
2.44pm Some encouraging news from Colombo. The rain has stopped, and some covers have come off. "It's extremely gloomy though," Madushka tells me.
2.25pm The luck of the draw is such that Sri Lanka are playing Australia hot on the heels of their opening game against India. Captain Chamari Athapaththu doesn't think that is necessarily a bad thing. BTW, this is Sri Lanka's first ODI against Australia since 2019.
2.20pm "Drove 5km down to the ground, and it was an annoying drizzle right the way through," pings Madushka Balasuriya, who is our eyes and ears from the Premadasa today. "Grey clouds hang over the ground with the odd streak of sunlight - even seeing a few shadows about.
"Ground fully covered though, as 'rain rain go away' is emblazoned on the electronic scoreboard. It will eventually you hope, but the forecast is for rain through the afternoon. 40 minutes out from the scheduled start now and crowds pretty sparse, but with free entry for this game hopefully both the crowds and weather picks up."
2.14pm Are Australia invincible? Is their aura intact? Who can challenge them? That's what we're discussing in this instalment of the Powerplay Podcast, where Vishal Dikshit joins Firdose Moonda & Valkerie Baynes. Dive in right here.
2.05pm Hello and a warm welcome! It's Day 5 of the Women's World Cup, and so far, the tournament has been marked by a string of one-sided contests. Here's hoping today brings a change, as Sri Lanka take on defending champions Australia at the Premadasa.
There's some rain around in Colombo. Saturday began dark and grey, with the familiar mid-morning drizzle. Just as things began to clear and the ground staff started peeling off the covers, Andrew Fernando informs me that the rain has returned and the ground is fully covered again.
The skies remain heavy, but conditions are slowly improving. Stay tuned. Here's hoping the interruptions stay brief.
