SL-W vs NZ-W

That'll be all for today. You've been a very patient audience through all the frustrating wait and we can't thank you enough for joining us. Let's hope the weather clears up in Colombo for tomorrow's game as England take on Pakistan. Do make sure to tune into our coverage of that game right here on Sportskeeda. For the moment, this is the duo of Sourabh Agrawal and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. See you soon - good night and take care!

Disappointing indeed that there was no outcome today. It complicates life for both teams now as far as qualification for the semis is concerned. They cannot slip-up hereon and with some challenging games looming, it won't be easy. But hey, it never is at a World Cup, is it?

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka captain): "We assessed the conditions. I thought today we played good cricket and I'm really happy about our batting performance. We can't control those things (with the washout). We'll focus on what we can do in those three games left. Vishmi is our number 1 opener but in the last six months she has struggled as an opener. That's why she moved to number 4. Again we talked to the selectors  and the team management and I talked to her. I think she played really good today. (On Nilakshi's knock) She's one of the good and experienced players in our team. Last 12 months, she's been playing really good cricket. That score was good to defend but I feel we missed another 20-25 runs. But the score was defendable. I talked to the bowlers to attack the stumps, focus on what we can do. That's what we talked about in the dressing room. Next game is very crucial for us. We need to win three games. I know we have to improve in some areas and I hope we can play the next game without any rain (grins)."

Sophie Devine (New Zealand Captain): "Sri Lanka batted particularly well. We have seen a theme start to develop in this tournament where if you have wickets in hand you can start to exploit that in the backend. We pegged them back after the powerplay but when you've got wickets in hand you can be aggressive. They got a few more runs than we have liked but it was a good cricket wicket, 240-250 would have been a good score on it. Shame that the weather had to play its part today because it would have been a really exciting chase. It is a hard one (regarding the matchups), stats and numbers can go really that far but at times you got to use your gut. Today it just did not work for us but some other day it could be a fifer, it was an experience and opportunity to go out against a quality side like Sri Lanka. I only bowled 1 over the other day, I have to see where I can fit in because we have got so much variety, if the team needs someone to bowl wicket-to-wicket and today the pitch suited that. Expecting a full game for starters (the next time), Pakistan are going to be a handful in these conditions. They have got talent and pushed teams already. We will review half a game and having played on this wicket today was important for us, the outfield was a little bit slow but we just hope for a full game."

9:16 PM local time and IST: Handshakes - the game has been called off! Inevitable after this latest burst of heavy rain and alas, while we should have had a 30-over chase commence at this juncture, we have to settle for the teams sharing the spoils instead. A real shame after Sri Lanka whipped up a competitive score and we could have witnessed a thriller. A reduced contest would have been just as fascinating but as it turns out, we won't have a run chase.

Both teams now share points as New Zealand stay fifth with 3 points while Sri Lanka remain in seventh position with 2 points - both courtesy washouts. Today's no result will hurt them more for they would've fancied their chances at the halfway mark. This makes just about every game a must-win situation for them now. None too different for the White Ferns either!

9:01 PM local time and IST: Some members of the crowd are starting to leave. They've been patiently waiting but it looks like they don't seem confident of a resumption. The entire ground is under the covers as is the norm at the Premadasa.

Bhaskar: "Will this help India? Considering our position on the table, looks like any external help will do!!"
Well, India's fate is certainly in their hands at the moment. Win all three games and they will be in the semis. Even two wins could suffice, but a washout could surely ease their burden.

8:50 PM local time and IST: Let's make one thing clear folks. We do not lie or pull a fast one. Lest you feel that way because, well, the rain is back and the last update is now deemed null and void as a result of that...

Kanupriya: "Can we expect the second innings? Or just 1 point to each team?"
We have time until 9:50 PM, Kanupriya. It has stopped raining for a while now and that's positive news. Let's hope there is an official resumption update soon.

8:25 PM local time and IST: The umpires are out in the middle for an inspection. It could still take a while before we have an update on a possible resumption with the groundsmen still at work.

8:07 PM local time and IST: The covers are starting to come off again. Starting with the pitch. That's a start, but there's a lot more work to be done by the ground staff. And more importantly, the rain must not return.

8:03 PM local time and IST: The cutoff time for a 20-over chase is 9:50 PM local time and IST. We've started losing overs but let's hope we get some kind of a contest in for a game that is so intriguingly poised and could have large-scale ramifications as far as qualification goes.

Shadow: "As an Indian, definitely I am Mr. Sahel. But, who knows the destiny."
Long way to go, but a Sri Lanka win is something India won't mind at all, particularly if it boils down to a knockout against New Zealand otherwise.