India vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI at Kolkata, Feb 08 2007 - Ball by Ball Commentary

8:31 pm local: Thats that. The match has been called off. Unfortunate for everyone at the ground, especially, who showed up in hords and pretty much stayed there till the end. Rain has ruined the first ODI at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The ground looks like slush, honestly, and there was no way the umpires were going to allow anyone out in that kind of muck.

Thats all I have for you now. Do join us for the second match on Sunday, February 11 which is at Rajkot. George Binoy and Kanishkaa Balachandran will be your commentators. For now, this is Jamie Alter signing off. Good morning, afternoon, evening, night wherever you may be. Cheers.

8:30 pm local: The moment of reckoning. The umpires are making their way out to the middle. There's still a huge crowd here, waiting for play to resume. Watch this space for more...

8:19 pm local: There's been some confusion via emails as to what the next step is. As I said, the umpires will come out for an inspection at 8:30 pm local time.

7:00 pm local: The umpires have inspected the field and are concerned about the 30-yard circle. The next inspection is at 8:30 pm local. There is a lot of surface water, and the umpires are obviously concerned about the players slipping and injuring themselves. The spot near the 'keeper is also of worry, as are the practice pitches. They are looking at a 20-over game.

6:50 pm local: The covers are off and the umpires are out in the middle for an inspection. Given that the World Cup is just around the corner, will the sides want to take the risk of playing on a damp field?

6:35 pm local: Anand informs me that the SuperSopper is working overtime and that the groundstaff are looking at getting a 20-over game in. Even for that to happen, play would have to start at 8:30 pm local and there are still a lot of wet patches around the ground. At the moment, the start of play is a long way off. The covers are still on. The situation has vastly improved from two hours ago.

6:15 pm local: The groundstaff are hard at work, yet no one is really that optimistic about play resuming soon. This is far from what the passionate Eden Gardens fans wanted when they lined up for this match. We have to keep playing the waiting game.

Here's the next question we have lined up for you.

Who has scored the most number of runs at the Eden Gardens in ODIs?

a) Azharuddin

b) Tendulkar

c) Ganguly

SMS WIN followed by a, b, or c (e.g., WIN a) to 2742 (Indian residents only) to win Nokia Phones.

5:45 pm local: The groundstaff are still working hard to remove the water from the outfield. There's no rain as of now, which is good. There's still a good crowd at the ground, as there is a slim chance of play resuming. We've lost close to two hours of play time, so it remains to be seen what decision the umpires take as to maximum overs available.

5:20 pm local: Afraid I don't have any good news for you. Still glum scenes at Kolkata, dark skies and all, even though the rain has ceased. It will be a while before the groundstaff can get all that blooming water off the outfield.

As we wait, allow me to announce the winners of the first question we asked. They are Kiran Pradeep from Chennai and Mumbai's Shreesh Mishra. Congrats!

Here's the next question:

What is the highest score at the Eden Gardens in an ODI?

a) 309 b) 350 c) 322

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Also, do remember to keep hitting us with your comments on the match, on Match Vox. Post your thoughts and share them with the others who've turned on and tuned in.

4:45 pm local: There's word that the intensity of the rain has lessened, and experts say that the drainage facilities at the Eden Gardens are top-notch. Still, there's alot of water in the outfield, and it will take some time to clear that.

4:25 pm local: Bad news still. The rain is coming down buckets at Kolkata, with the locals even saying that its not like this in the monsoons. Anand Vasu from the ground says that the outfield is already very water-logged, and while the umpires won't call off the game just yet, its very unlikely that we'll get play soon. As for the skies, well they're just plain black now.

4:00 pm local: Drizzle is getting heavier and the umpires call for the covers. Not good for the spectators gathered. Like I said, skies are a dark grey. The batsmen are the first to get off the pitch, followed by the Indians. A flurry of groundsmen come on with the blue tarp.

Watch this space for further updates. I'm not going anywhere.

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and here's a little drizzle now...hmmm...

Time for a quiz, folks! Which of these scored 183 against Sri Lanka in a one-day international?

a) MS Dhoni

b) Sourav Ganguly

c) Both

SMS WIN followed by a, b, or c (e.g., WIN a) to 2742 (for Indian users only) to win iPod Shuffles. Keep an eye on the left-hand panel for new questions every hour.

Very, very dark at the Eden Gardens. Nice wind blowing too.

A good over, with the wicket of Sangakkara. Meanwhile, Jayasuriya carries on...

Here's Marvan Atapattu.

Sreesanth still not looking very convincing in the shorter version of the game, but thats a big, big man to get at a crucial stage

Skies very dark here...hint of rain even, perhaps. Lights in full effect now.

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Here's Sreesanth.

Not a bad over at all that

Thanks, George. Hi everyone. Jayasuriya's got Sri Lanka off to a quick start and he doesn't look the leas bit bothered by the two wickets that have fallen. Sangakkara too stroking a couple good boundaries, off the middle of the bat. Dravid doesnt opt for the third and final PowerPlay yet. Here comes spin in the form of Harbhajan Singh as the lights come on as early as 3:40 local. One slip in place.