Match abandoned Well, that was short and to the point... here's how England's players coped with the weather (UK, Ire, Aus only)

Raf Nicholson: "It's all over here in St Lucia. Match officially called off: England and Sri Lanka take 1 point each. Am afraid this is a bit of a blow to England's hopes in this #WT20, especially given that play against Bangladesh on Monday also looks to be in doubt."

That said, if all the matches are washed out - and you can't rule it out, it is as likely as getting any play in Sri Lanka in October, then England will qualify by virtue of being the second seeds behind West Indies. Questions to be asked of the schedulers, not for the first time.

Right. I'm outta here. Catch you later!

3.55pm Covers going back! As you were...

3.50pm Covers coming off! Good grief. Seven minutes before the cut-off ... perhaps it's merely a ruse to give themselves the faintest chance of play... watch this space. The mopping-up continues...

3.47pm Still there? Thought not. But just in case you are still lurking, here's the lowdown on the tournament's outstanding performance to date - Harmanpreet Kaur's agenda-setting, Kiwi-flailing century in India's opening contest... she's a bit good, isn't she?

3.33pm Still no prospect of any cricket. But there is a concert planned for this evening ... featuring Patrice Roberts - the soca super star from Trinidad; and Shenseea - one of the biggest names on the dancehall scene from Jamaica. They are the artists behind the tournament's official anthem "Watch This" ... well, why not, you can watch it here. There's nothing else to look at, and in fact, the stadium organisers seem to agree, as they've got the party started early.

3.25pm Apparently the rain needs to have stopped by 3.57pm for there to be any chance of play. So, it's not the most gawping of windows ... We can but twiddle our thumbs in the meantime...

Meanwhile, here's why you should be tuning in to watch this tournament, assuming the rain ever stops...

3.09pm Anyway, over to St Lucia for an early glimpse of the conditions, and I fear they are pretty grim ... there's been torrential rain in the Caribbean, and the super-soppers are out in force at the moment.

Raf Nicholson, our eyes and ears on the ground, is not optimistic. "There are no reserve days for group matches. England and Sri Lanka will split the 2 points on offer between them if no play (which there won't be)." But we can't be that easily defeated! The show must go on!

Mind you... it is utterly apocalytic out there.

3.03pm Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball coverage of England Women's opening contest of their World T20 campaign, against Sri Lanka in St Lucia. The last time England went into the World T20 as reigning 50-over champions, back in 2009, they only went and won the double, beating New Zealand by six wickets in the final at Lord's.

But alas, they will have to embark on this campaign in the absence of their Player of the Match on that heady day, and enduring talisman, Katherine Brunt, who has succumbed to a longstanding back injury and has been forced out of the tournament. Heather Knight, England's campaign, admits that such a key player will be hard to replace. But she's also realistic about the expectations that surround her team...