South Africa vs West Indies, 1st ODI, Highlights: Match Abandoned Due To Rain Without A Ball Being Bowled

Right then, that is it from the game. The rain gods have played a spoilsport and the match has been called off without a ball being bowled. The 2nd ODI will be played at the same venue on Saturday, the 18th of March. Let's hope the rain gods stay away for that game. The match will begin at 4.30 pm IST (11.00 am GMT). But as you know, our build-up begins a bit earlier, so do join us for the same. Until then, goodbye and cheers!

The inevitable has happened! Unfortunately it is the rain gods that come out on top in this encounter. Yes, you read that right. The match has been ABANDONED and the first match of the 3-match ODI has certainly not lived up to its expectation. 

Update 7.21 pm IST (1.51 pm GMT) - Tick, tock, tick, tock! Still no signs of improvement. The conditions are gloomy, the floodlights are switched on as well but the covers remain intact. If you wanna enjoy some cricketing action you switch tabs to follow Women's T20 League in which the match number 14 is set to begin. You can even feast yourself with the Eliminator fixture in the Paskistan Super League. Although, do not forget to keep your eyes out for this match. Stick around!

Update 6.36 pm IST (12.36 pm GMT) - The rain seems to have stopped now and there is some work being done in the middle. Hopefully, the rain stays away now and we can have some cricket soon. Undoubtedly, we have started losing overs. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update 6 pm IST (12.30 pm GMT) - It is still raining, folks! The covers are firmly on and must say conditions are not looking great at the moment. Let's hope that our not-so-beloved friend, rain, finds some other place to chill out.

Update 5.15 pm IST (11.45 am GMT) - Looks like the rain has eased off a bit and there is some activity going on the ground with the super soppers at work. Although the dark clouds are still hovering over the ground and the pitch remains covered.

Update 4.44 pm IST (11.14 am GMT) - Good news folks! The rain has eased off now and the groundsmen are peeling off the covers. The drainage here is not great so the groundsmen have a huge task to do here. Well, before shifting their focus on drainage, it looks like the groundstaff will have to put in a double shift, as the rain is back and the COVERS ARE ON AGAIN. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update 4:30 pm IST (11 am GMT) - It looks like it is going to be long waiting game. The conditions haven't really improved and the rain is as persistent as before. Let's keep our fingers crossed. 

Update 3.55 pm IST (10.25 am GMT) - The weather at Buffalo Park is not pleasing. It is raining here and the covers are on. Inevitably, the toss has been delayed. Stick around for further updates.

The Windies, on the other hand, have appointed a new skipper, and the squad is under the leadership of Shai Hope. They played this format around six months back and had lost to New Zealand by 2-1. West Indies will be looking to change fortunes, and take an early lead in the series. Can Shai Hope lead his side to victory on his ODI captaincy debut? Or will the hosts continue their domination on home turf? Only time will tell. Toss and team news to follow shortly...

Hello and a warm welcome to the first ODI of the three-match ODI series between West Indies tour of South Africa. The hosts have been excellent in this format in recent times and they have beaten England by 2-1 earlier in the year. They have a settled lineup, however, Keshav Maharaj's injury would be a bit of a concern for them. They have defeated the visitors in the Test format and they would hope to repeat the same in the ODI format as well.

... MATCH DAY ...

It is the first game of the three-match ODI series as South Africa takes on West Indies at Buffalo Park, East London. The hosts are in excellent form and have defeated the visitors 2-0 in the Test series. They had also defeated the strong English side a few months ago. West Indies come here with a series loss against New Zealand in their last outing, and they have struggled in this format in recent months. The hosts are missing some of the key players, but they have a strong line-up and shall look to stamp their authority in the game and take an early lead in the series. On the other hand, Shai Hope will lead this series for the visitors and he would like to turn things around for them in this format of cricket. He is likely to open alongside Rovman Powell, and they will hope to put up a gritty stand at the start. They will be hoping for their middle order to perform as well as they have some good names in the mix. Their bowling unit includes some quality names like Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel and it's going to be an interesting choice to make for the touring team. They will hope to get back to winning ways in this format and start afresh. Can they do it? Let's find out.