Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 4th Match at Dambulla, , Aug 19 2010 - Match Result

9.08 pm The game has been abandoned. Both teams share points.

Breaking news: Sangakkara has been issued a level 2 charge for incident with Nathan McCullum. Remember, in the over no 26.5, he had flicked a ball to fine-leg region. As he was about to finish the first run, he bumped into Nathan, the bowler, while trying to ground the bat. The bowler didn't like it. The umpires got into picture. Now Sanga has been charged. He will visit the match referee later.

That's it from us. Good bye.

8.34 pm It has started raining! Oh well. The covers are back on. They got the covers in just before it started raining. The original inspection was at 9 pm, wonder what happens now. It's raining out there. The ground staff have really really worked so hard today. It was a heavy downpour but they had got the covers in so quickly first time around that they reduced the potential damage. Then, they cleaned-up stuff pretty thoroughly and just when they would have thought they can have a game, it has started to rain again.

If the game doesn't resume by 9.55pm, it will be called off. If it starts at 9.55 pm, we will have just enough time to have a 20-over second innings.

Did you know that Mark Greatbatch nearly became a movie star? When Greatbatch nearly became WG

From one of the many stories from Sid Monga from his tour diary when India last toured New Zealand.

"Mark Greatbatch did play a cameo in the movie version of The End of The Golden Weather, a book from the seventies, and one of the most enduring theatre in New Zealand - the story of a New Zealand summer in the thirties. One of the characters in the book is a dreamer. In one of his many dreams, he is bowling, and in one instance, to WG Grace at Lord's. Grace hits almightily into the air, the kid runs all the way, and dives and catches it.

That's where Greatbatch comes in, because the film producer needed a real cricketer who resembled the good doctor. Greatbatch was the closest bet. He still had to put a pillow under his shirt, and obviously the beard. Then there was another problem: Greatbatch bats left-handed, Grace batted right. The shots were flipped to make Greatbatch look right-handed, and the shooting went fine.

But there was a heartbreak to follow. "They told me it was great, they were really happy with it," says Greatbatch. "And the producer rang me three months later, when they started editing. He said there were two things to say. One good and one bad. 'You were wonderful in the movie. Brilliant. Unfortunately, we have got to shorten the movie by eight to 10 minutes.' And I got the boot. So that's what happened to my movie mate." The end of the golden weather."

8.18 pm Sid Ravi: "The covers are off, umpires are talking to captains, no rain but nothing concrete about overs etc. The outfield looks more or less cleaned up. They had got the covers in very soon and covered the full ground. That has really helped."

7.30 pm It has stopped raining! Anuruddha Polonowita, the national curator, is out in the middle with the fourth umpire inspecting the conditions. They are rolling off the tyres weighing down the covers.

If the game doesn't resume by 9.55pm, it will be called off. If it starts at 9.55 pm, we will have just enough time to have a 20-over second innings.

Laura: "Speaking of amusing moments in cricket , I was at Kent for an Australian warm up match last year when a seagull flew down and stole the bails after the batsman got bowled. I will not soon forget the sight of Brett Lee flapping his arms and running around in the hope he might take of after it to retrieve them."

Matt: "Chris Martin is in one of my history classes at Auckland University. He was 20 minutes late for a midday lecture today, tsk tsk" ha ha! Liar! Martin is never late. Beware of the Phantom.

7.15 pm Raining. Steady drizzle on. Sid Ravi: "If there is no further play today, Sri Lanka will need to win against India to stay in the competition."

Remember Steve Rixon aka Stumper? The former NZ coach who threw a young Stephen Fleming into captaincy.

Excerpts from an interview Rixon: "We would have our own meeting before the team meeting. I would talk to Flem in detail and he would go to the meeting and say that. He told me, 'I feel like a puppet.' I said, 'Flem, you're just learning how it all works. Somewhere - I reckon in the next 12 months - you're going to get past me, and at that point you're going to take over and run the ship. I will be happy for that day to come but we've got to play it this way at this time.'

And I remember one day on the England tour, telling him, 'Did you feel the crossover?' and he knew immediately exactly what I was talking about it. It was a nice little moment."

7.02 pm: It's still raining.

What do you do when you want to end a game quickly? Bring out the tomatoes,

says Ewan Chatfield, the former NZ seamer. As told to Sid Monga.

Darren throws in the video link of the Bichel Six. Plus one more freak incident.

Border's hilarious six!

'Navs' sends us a link on one of the oddest overs in first-class cricket. Read here .

The over went as follows - 0444664614106666600401

6.45 pm: The rain has eased but not stopped.

Robert: "In answer to Ravikanth, it seems that Chris Martin is using the time while the ODI squad is playing to catch up on his studies. I saw him at the cafe last week at the University of Auckland. I think I had read somewhere before that he studies there." Is he studying the art of batting?

6.10 pm Bad news I am afraid. Sid Ravi from Dambulla: "It's absolutely pelting down. Insane rain."

Darren: "As an Aussie, my favourite NZ cricket moment would have to be Andre Adams' horrid double-bouncer in the 2003 World Cup, which Andrew Bichel duly smote into the crowd."

A story from John "Mystery" Morrison. Told to Sid Monga.

On Henry Blofeld. Hilarious.

Here: "Henry Blofeld was a guest commentator. And Henry is not afraid of a drink, he is particularly partial to red wine. And a day-night game in Australia - not only does it not start till 2pm, here because of time difference it starts at 4pm. So Henry had had a pretty big lunch, and a very big quota of red wine. And he came in to the room, and with all due respects to Henry he didn't know which way he was pointing.

"The funny thing was, I think Pakistan were playing Sri Lanka, and Henry for half an hour didn't mention any player at all. 'Oh my dear old thing,' he went. 'How delightful … Isn't this absolutely wonderful … Don't they look wonderful in coloured shirts … Gee isn't the game wonderful … These Sri Lankans are so exciting, and Pakistanis are so exciting … Mystery, my dear old fellow, pass the glass over, would you?' He went on like that for half an hour. Never mentioned a ball bowled.

"And I am sitting there saying 'Henry, we are trying to commentate a World Cup match for heaven's sakes'. 'Oh my dear old thing, don't worry about that,' Henry went. 'No it's a lovely day, look everybody is happy. Don't they look super out there on the field. I am sure they are going to bat well and bowl well.' And never mentioned a player."

Meanwhile the news from England is that Alastair Cook has finally found some form. Read all the details from the morning session at the Oval in Andrew McGlashan's bulletin.

6.02 pm: The rain has become a lot heavier.

Ben: "Heath Davis has the distinguished record of having once bowled a meat pie in a first-class game. He snuck it out after tea and delivered the pie on a good length- needless to say it was quite a mess and needed cleaning up!"

Paul: "Heath Davis...he got so much stick about bowling "pies" that when he came out after the break he ran in for the 1st ball and actually bowled a real pie and said "there hit that". What a character!"

Vivek Bhandari: "I'm afraid if anybody remembers Alex Tait...typically Kiwi military medium bowler who played smartly in the dying moments of in the inaugural match (his debut) of the Mini World Cup in '98. BTW, that was the first match in which they started giving separate penalty runs off a no-ball...:)"

Rain update from Sid Ravindran in Dambulla: "Still raining, not as heavy as yesterday, but its very dark. Entire ground under covers."

Right, on that note I will hand the reins back to Sriram Veera for the rest of the innings. Cheers!

Talking of overs from hell.. anyone seen this classic?

Elliott remembers "Tuffeys infamous over against Australia in a ODI at eden park....so many wides and no balls. The first legal ball he bowled got smacked to the boundary. I think Australia were 12 for 0 after 1 ball. He subsequently got dropped and when finally returned years later history repeated its self...although he didnt get dropped this time. Poor chap." What a transformation, considering the man has now made it a habit to take wickets in his opening over!

Ravikanth: "I may not be keeping up-to-date, but why is Chris Martin, my favourite all-rounder, not in the squad?" Well, I guess he is back home perfecting his now popular skills at getting bowled neck and crop.

Andrew Dunford: "Heath Davis has lived in Brisbane since 2003, where he works in a warehouse and does some cricket coaching. Unfortunately he lost half of his left foot in a forklift accident in 2008 but at least he no longer bowls so many no-balls." Ethan Tucker adds, this is what Davis had to say about the accident: "I got so sick of bowling no-balls I decided to do something permanent about it". What an attitude!

While we wait for the rain to clear.. more on Heath Davis.. His full name by the way is Heath Te-Ihi-O-Te-Rangi Davis.. Whoa, that competes with WPUJC Vaas and co.!

This was that match, when he bowled as assortment of wides and no-balls en route unflattering figures of 0 for 54 in five overs. Tendulkar, making one of those gazillion ODI tons of his, had a tough time reaching some of them wides which were slipping well down the leg side. Adam Parore did not have an easy time keeping either.

5.37pm Well, it has threatened to happen all day, the clouds ahave been ubiquitous and finally the rain has started coming down. Asad Rauf knows this can get heavy in no time and asks the groundsmen to come on immediately. And by the time I have typed this out, most of the square has been covers. Efficient!

Satwik: "I mostly fondly remember Heath Davis during the Independence Cup in India. '97 i think. he kept bowling all these wides! incredibly wide wides!! Truly entertaining bowler. Anyone know what he is upto now?"

I remember that over.. the broadcaster could not fit in all those balls in that graphic.. think he bowled 14 balls or something in one over!

Nathan McCullum.. in the Powerplay.. Round the wicket..

Dan: "I've been trying to play poker online while following this match, but I'm laughing so hard at all the stories coming through I just lost all my chips. Competitive score here, shame it might get washed out."

Pardo: "My favourite NZ cricket moment was Ewen Chatfield not bothering to join in an appeal for LBW from behind the stumps. He looked astonished when it was given and as he was being congratulated by the team you could clearly see him saying "I thought he hit it"!"

Batting powerplay taken