Live: Rain delays start of blockbuster World Cup final between India, South Africa

What an entrance!

G’day Mike, good to have you ever with us.

If anybody has any extra rain associated puns, it will be vastly appreciated in case you might ship them in.

It is sadly becoming that rain performs a job within the closing of the 2025 World Cup.

5 of the event’s first 30 video games have been washed out utterly, with an entire lot extra impacted by the weather.

New Zealand had it notably unhealthy.

The Kiwis’ semifinal aspirations took a sucker punch when their pool section clashes with Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been washed out in Colombo, with departing legend Sophie Devine not finest happy with situations within the Sri Lankan capital.

“You wait 4 years for a World Cup and to have rain play such a large half in it’s disappointing,” Devine stated after the match in opposition to Pakistan

“You’ve got waited for thus lengthy and also you need to take a look at your self in opposition to one of the best and to be scuppered by rain, it is an actual disgrace for me.”

4 of the 11 video games scheduled for Colombo have been washed out – which should not come as an excessive amount of of a shock, contemplating it’s the center of the wet season.

Nevertheless, the quantity of rain we have had in Navi Mumbai was sudden. As you possibly can see, October and November aren’t traditionally moist months.

Nevertheless, all of the bar graphs on this planet cannot change the truth that water is falling from the sky in Navi Mumbai. And various it.

The wait goes on.

It was an announcement win from the Proteas of their semifinal in opposition to England.

Coming off the again of that seven-wicket drubbing by Australia within the final pool section sport and having been bowled out for simply 69 in opposition to England earlier within the event, it was an emphatic return to type for the Proteas.

Captain Laura Wolvaardt sparkled with 169 as South Africa put collectively its finest batting innings of the event, ending on 7-319 earlier than bowling England out for 194.

That batting efficiency will likely be of explicit encouragement for South African followers, contemplating how cold and warm the Proteas blew with the willow within the pool section.

With the heavens nonetheless open and the covers nonetheless firmly in place in Navi Mumbai, why do not we have a look again on India’s gorgeous semifinal victory over Australia?

It was a consequence that despatched shockwaves across the cricketing world.

The all-conquering Australians have been merely outplayed in Thursday’s second semifinal, with India storming house in dramatic vogue.

Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur have been excellent with the bat for the event co-hosts, however Australia wilted considerably beneath the floodlights in Navi Mumbai, throwing down quite a lot of questionable deliveries, shelling some fairly regulation probabilities and by no means fairly discovering a rhythm with the ball.

Ultimately, India received by 5 wickets with 9 balls to spare.

Oh, and the profitable chase of 339 was the very best within the historical past of WODIs.

This is how Dean and I noticed it.

G’day Outdated timer – it’s bucketing on the market on the minute, with the water pooling on the covers and spilling onto the oval.

When the climate passes, the bottom workers can have an enormous job forward of them.

Fortunately, we do have a reserve day put aside for tomorrow.

However that can solely be used if we will not get 20 overs of motion per facet in at this time, by which case, the sport will decide up from the place it left off.

We’re quick approaching that rescheduled toss time of 3pm native time, and I hate to say it of us, but it surely ain’t gonna occur.

The rain has gotten lots heavier in Navi Mumbai; the covers are again on and all of the gamers – who had been warming up on the sector – are huddled within the dugouts.

An actual disgrace for everybody concerned, particularly contemplating it is a sell-out.

We’ll hold you within the know.

Attributable to persistent and unseasonable rain in Navi Mumbai, the toss has been delayed no less than half an hour, as has the scheduled begin of play.

The primary ball is now scheduled to be bowled at:

9:00pm in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT8:30pm in South Australia8:00pm in Queensland7:30pm within the Northern Territory6:00pm in Western Australia

Sadly, rain has been a reasonably constant theme of this World Cup so far, with 5 of the 30 matches performed up to now rained out.

Neither of the semifinals have been significantly impacted by unhealthy climate, however I am sorry to say that is probably not the case at this time.

It is fairly weird to have such persistent rain in Navi Mumbai right now of 12 months, however right here we’re.

That is how the DY Patil Stadium appeared not too way back.

The covers are off now, however the toss and begin of play have been delayed by at half an hour.

And that is what to anticipate over the course of the afternoon and night.

This spell of rain is anticipated to clear earlier than play is scheduled to start at 3pm native time.

Good night and welcome to ABC Sport’s on-line protection of the 2025 ODI World Cup closing.

It’s a really momentous day for ladies’s cricket, with this being the primary ODI World Cup closing to characteristic neither England nor Australia.

Each India and South Africa are chasing a maiden title in Navi Mumbai.

My title’s Henry Hanson and I will be joined by Dean Bilton to information you thru all of the motion.

Buckle up, boil the kettle, commandeer the sofa – we’ve an enthralling night forward of us.