India vs Australia, 3rd ODI at Margao, , Oct 24 2010 - Ball by Ball Commentary

1.10pm It seems there won't be a post-match ceremony, handing out the trophy to MS Dhoni, etc.

So that's it from us at Cricinfo, thanks for all the mails which made the long wait bearable. Last word goes to Jose: "Really sad to see that rain played games in Goa, Goans waited for three long years to get ODI and finally rain played spoiled sport."

12.50pm Match has been called off.

So India take the series (if it can be called that) 1-0. A contest already lacking the biggest names from both teams was devalued further by two of three matches being called without a ball being bowled.

My colleague, George Binoy, wonders whether a Man of the Series will be named.

AnanthaMurthy: "I have lived right next to the stadium in Goa. As others have commented, it runs to packed stadiums for football games, come rain or shine. And, being Goa, its hilarious watching a football game, with every second spectator being "well oiled", and slurred exhortations shouted at players, & outrageously funny views being put across. Forget this match, guys, its gone for a wash, there's a sort of river nearby where the rain water drains to; it's not going to 'kindly' let the outfield dry. "

Hariharan Sriram: "Yay! Can't wait for the 'Aussies are white washed in ODI series' headlines and infinite stats about how this is the first time since 1772 that Aussies have lost all their matches in a ODI series. 1 match ODI and 2 match test series' FTW!! "

12.45pm Still no official word, though Rohit Sharma has tweeted that the match has been called off.

RKM: "Are there any spectators at the ground at all? I look forward to some tweets from them more than anybody else. My heart goes out to people who can be that patient when everyone and everything else is trying to tell them to go home and have some feni."

Tim Nielsen and Michael Clarke checking the ground conditions.

Chris Lea makes a fervent plea: "PLEASE - get some cricket going!

Winter's arriving here in the UK and it's just above freezing here just after dawn. Need the clatter of leather on willow to warm things up - psychologically at any rate....!"

Nick de Mello: "Have been waiting since 11:30 pm to watch the game here in Toronto via CBN. Its now 3:15 AM. Why don't the Umpires make a decision to call off the game when he see the ground conditions rather than keep Cricket fans waiting?Are they paid by the hour?"

12.35pm SasH: "@Luwellyn - It was the 5th One dayer between India and England 2006 held at Guwhati when a chopper was used to dry up the outfield but even that didn't help. It aint that easy to dry up a wet outfield as the grass holds on the moisture."

Paul: "Great weather here in Auckland. Also, Ravindra Jadeja and Irfan Pathan! "

12.25pm Dhoni and Kirsten talking to match referee Chris Broad to find out whether any decision has been taken yet. No official word yet.

And people writing in about rain in Singapore washing out Under-11 cricket, Saturday volleyball league in San Jose and local cricket in Brisbane. Anand: "So much rain all the world over. Is it 2012 already?"

Sundar Srinivas: "Here in salt lake city. its raining too. unfortunately cricket is probably only the big sport which cannot be played in rain. american foot ball game between Utah and Colorado was packed affair played in rain."

Amir Rana is feeling left out. "Reading all the comments of raining all over the world, I'm feeling jealous here in Kuwait where we still have 40 Degree Centigrades."

12.15pm Sri Lanka's warm-up match against New South Wales has been called off due to rain. Also, the Korean Grand Prix has been suspended after four laps due to rain.

Dhoni and Kirsten at the ground, taking a look at the conditions. Umpires also assessing the outfield.

Masud: "All local club matches have been called off today here in Canberra."

Right, while the interminable wait continues, you can head over to Page 2 for some cricket humour. Got any suggestions for Doppelgangers?

12.00pm Luwellyn Paynter: "The Indian Navy in Goa could have sent to the Margao stadium one of its Kamov-28 helicopter the dry the out field, this has happened in the past (I THINK)."

Sriraj GS: "I have to accept even I'm confused about Ravindra Jadeja's role in the side but he seems to be taking simply too much copping from everyone! I wouldn't really enjoy it if I was him! Give him a break guys! He's human too!"

And here's pic of the stadium earlier today.

11.55am Obligatory Irfan Pathan mail. Krish: "I am wondering where is Irfan Pathan one of the best allrounder in India."

Btw, cut-off time for the match to start is 2.17pm. And apparently one of the sightscreens in the ground has fallen over.

Steven Smith on Twitter: "Hates waiting around while decisions are being made. Hopefully we will find out whether we are on or not soon enough. Doesn't look too promising today."

David Warner on Twitter: "I love india and cant wait to visit again soon,such wonderful people and are always smiling thanks for having us and hopefully we can play."

11.45am B Sreedhar isn't concerned about rating stadiums or drainage systems. He prefers to view a washout philosophically. "It is good that occasionally the matches are abandoned. This would level the mindsets of several stars, and enlighten them to the limitations of man before nature."

Obligatory Ravindra Jadeja mail. This one from Selector: "Everyone is just talking about grounds and rains...... And I am wondering why is Ravindra Jadeja still in the team?"

Allan Mccarthy: "I am a fellow aussie and am one of the curators for the Harvard Football Stadium in Boston. Even though the game of Football is played during rain, most modern stadiums are equipped with top notch drainage systems - we can drain 1 whole inch of water every half hour. Aggie Drains are actually pretty effective - though the NFL doesn't use it. I was wondering if there is a reason why cricket grounds just not covered the whole way? I see only the pitches and the surrounding square is covered. Isn't a wet outfield often a reason for matches to be delayed?"

11.35am Svwarty from Australia seems to know a bit more than me about ground drainage systems. "Have you guys heard of AGGIE DRAINS? Most top grounds in Australia have agriculture drainage system. This is a cheap, environmentally friendly and fast drainage system."

Tushar: "I guess Rain is everywhere at the moment!! Rain delayed the start of the Korean GP in F1 too." Add to that, Sri Lanka's warm-up game against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Ian Chappell has some tips on playing in India. "If you're a visiting captain, pick a variety of quality bowlers - fast and slow. And if you're a batsman up against slow bowlers, watch the ball closely and use your feet," he says.

11.25am The teams haven't arrived at the ground yet.

Adrian Meredith: "I agree that grounds should be ranked, according to their drainage system, pitch conditions, outfield etc and have to be a certain ranking to host tests, ODIs, T20Is and another ranking to host domestic matches, and so forth. This will prevent not only the kind of absurdity of this match but also ground staff might be encouraged to go for a higher ranking in order to host big matches."

Artie from Australia: "Guys, get over it. It has been bucketing down and it's likely to rain more. It's no different in Australia, even on grounds with good drainage. If there had been as much rain as I've heard, at the SCG, there would be similar delays."

11.15am The update is that the match officials will make another inspection in an hour's time -12.15.

Abs: "@Vinci - Whilst it should be good motivation for stadiums' owners/managers but unfortunately it isn't a "fair" option! As only the best grounds in the country will end up hosting all the games. I think the BCCI policy of rotating the games is a fair policy. This way visiting teams/international viewer gets to see the various parts of the country. However, if the arrangements weren't good then BCCI can omit it from the list until the facilities are managed properly and due evidence is provided to stake their claims."

Btw, New Zealand have announced their Test squad for the tour of India next month. Here's the 15-member Test squad for that tour. Kane Williamson and fast bowler Hamish Bennett have been included.

11.10am Somaditya: "It is a shame that the match cannot go on despite clear sky, we are waiting for outfield to dry up. I just wanted to point out that in UK/England - I have not seen the whole cricket ground being covered. The arched thing covers the pitch and surroundings. Never seen it to cover the whole outfield. Squares of the wicket and the bowler's runups are very well protected."

Bharat from Canada: "@vinci excellent idea. UEFA does that for football. A stadium must be category four to host games in the playoffs of the qualifying stage for UEFA Champions League or any game in the main competition. Category four is also required to host any game in the main competition of the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA European Football Championship."

Thejas: "I think everyone's being a little unfair to the Margoa ground. It's been raining cats and dogs for the last one and a half weeks. I doubt any cricket ground (at least in India) would have been able to handle so much rain."

11.00am Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh tweets that he doesn't expect the match to start before 1pm.

The sun is still out in Goa. The umpires are taking a look at the outfield. No official word yet on start time, or indeed on whether there will be a start. Plenty of spectators at the ground, all patiently waiting.

Gareth from Australia: "@Vinci: I don't agree with the ground rating concept. You would end up restricting cricket to priviliged areas. One of my favourite games was at Manuka (ACT, Australia). Its a tiny, club ground and I watched India vs SL in the Commonwealth Bank Series. Best experience ever."

Pramod G Pirankar: "Goa is a beautiful place famous for Sun, Sand & Beaches. Football is been followed by the people in this part of world which can be played even if there is Rain. The best time for Cricket is from Jan to May. Please schedule your next match here during the said period to have some play."

10.55am Vinci suggests: " BCCI should introduce a rating system to rate the grounds in terms of facilities, crowds, etc...Grounds with higher ratings could be then given priority during the allotment of matches and penalties could be handed over to grounds with lower ratings along with obvious reduction in matches allotted."

10.40am Nilotpal replies: "@Rahul: I get your point on the vast number of state associations being a hindrance. But post-IPL and TV deals, they all get a huge amounts these days from the BCCI coffers. If they (the associations or the grounds) are still in a pitiable condition, then where is the money going? I feel its just a matter of no one even giving issues like ground covers, drainage a thought."

Paresh K Desai: "Margao Ground is mainly a football ground.. the drainage and other things there for football game is manageable.. because the football game can go ahead even with rain. Whenever a ODI is awarded to Goa.. the stadium is taken over by the state cricket association. Permanent cricket stadium for GCA is planned for north goa and expected to be ready by 2012."

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10.30am Rahul Bhagchandani: "Nilotpal, agreed that the post rain management in Indian grounds is at its worst possible state but the problem lies with the vastness of the country. It isn't BCCI who controls every ground but their respective state associations. Now there are over 25 state associations in India and most of them are in a pitiable condition - such pitiable condition that they don't hold Annual meetings, there is no such thing called "accounts" et al. Now, some might say that why not give games consistently only to prime locations - but doing so will create emotional (feeling of partiality) imbalance to the cities like Kochi, Kanpur, Margoa etc. and so that is not possible."

10.15am Nilotpal asks: "How farcical is it for the ground to be under clear skies, and still have play halted for 3 hours. I can understand that indoor stadias are a long shot, but what stops all the State Associations to have covers that are of a harder material than plastic (i.e. to stop water from seeping through). Or the arched style hard covers that cover the whole grounds in the UK. This is the richest sports body in the world, and it probably makes economical sense to make the right investments and ensure not a single home international day goes waste."

We should (hopefully) get a game soon, so make sure you don't miss out anything by installing our Chrome extension. And it's free!

10.00am Jim from Australia: "Tim, club cricketers complain constantly, I got hit in the chest off a good length ball yesterday on a damp pitch and haven't stopped complaining since."

Rahul Bhagchandani: "The Weather channel suggests scattered thunderstorms today in Goa and so suggests Yahoo weather. The website of Indian met departments says "Heavy rains" for today and tomorrow along with a warning and finally, the latest imagery from Dundee Satellite receiving station (DSRS) shows clouds over Goa but not the ones which could cause T-storms. I guess we should be fine at least until this evening unless some hard wind blows from no where and brings along a shower spell."

I'm not sure why Eliya Abbas sent this in: "Boom Boom Afridi :)".

9.45am Mehul: "I have been studying in goa for past 4 years and i can assure there wont be a match possible as the light detoriates rapidly by 4 pm due to cloudy weather and even a 20-20 match would be unlikely to be finished. As for the cricket ground a single short burst of shower will render the ground unplayable."

9.20am Krishnan writes in: "Weather Underground's hour by hour report says scattered showers by 11 AM. Can someone fly in a big umbrella and a few more supersoppers please?"

Vivek Singh: "Hey Tim, club cricket is far far different from international cricket. It's like flying a Cessna to a Boeing 747. Sorry mate, with world cup around the corner, neither you or us want these players to twist an ankle or screw a knee." I'm sure Callum Ferguson will second that. He's expected to make his international return today.

8.55am The news is Chris Broad and the other match officials have inspected the conditions and have decided to have another inspection at 11 am. The Supersoppers are zipping around the outfield, some parts of which are still under covers but it looks like the start will be delayed by at least three hours.

Tim from Australia doesn't think a wet outfield should prevent play. "If its not raining send them out to play. Conditions can't be worse than some that club cricketers all over the world play in and don't complain."

8.45am Still 15 minutes to go for the inspection. Here's Sriram Veera's preview to keep you occupied. I'm told our Facebook page also has some fun stuff on it. Go there to air your views on all things cricket.

8.35am Ravi Shastri says the sun needs to be out for at least three to four hours to ensure we get a game. There will be an inspection from Chris Broad at 9am and we will know after that when play will start.

There are several damp patches just outside the 30-yard circle which is what is causing the delay.

8.25am Hello and welcome to Cricinfo's coverage of the third ODI between India and Australia in Margao. The good news is it's bright and sunny in Goa. The bad news is that with all the rain over the past few days there's going to be a delayed start, if we have a game at all.

Brad Hogg hopes we will have at least a 20-overs-a-side match. The pitch is being rolled but the outfield is pretty wet.