12.27pm Unfortunately, this match has been abandoned. We waited and waited, but the rain didn't relent. So the five-match series between Ireland and Afghanistan begins with a washout, which leaves the series locked at 0-0. We'll meet again on Friday for the second ODI in Bready again, hoping there's some action. Until then, it's goodbye for today!
12.15pm Hello again, everyone. An update from the Afghanistan Cricket Board from ten minutes back showed some grim pictures. But while we wait for some action here, there's the LPL and the Women's Hundred to follow. So hop over for live cricket.
We were supposed to have had an inspection by now, but no news yet. While we wait more, here's Himanshu again.
11.50am The rain has stopped and the cover off the main pitch is off. The roller is on the pitch now. There are covers on either side of the strip, though.
Mustafa Moudi: "As we are free Right now, would like to share an interesting piece of information - Ireland have 2 Players with their Last Names Beginning with 'Mc' (McBrine, McCarthy, McDonough) while Afghanistan have 2 Players with their Last Name Ending with 'zai' (Omazai and Ahmadzai). The meaning of both (Mc as prefix and zai as suffix) are the same - Son of (ex son of Brine and son of Omar) !!"
11.18am David: "I'm not far from ground and rain has stopped" -- Let's hope you're right.
Thanks, Himanshu. And hello everyone. I am welcomed with a not-so-good-to-hear comment from Keith, who says "I live a 100 miles from the ground its very cloudy and the rain is steady. I would say a good chance of no play at all today. "
11am With the next inspection still an hour away, it's time to welcome Abhimanyu. Let him know what you've been up to while waiting for some good news.
10.38am We have some (bad) news: next inspection is at 12pm. So that is nearly one-and-a-half hours from now.
10.18am A tweet from the Afghanistan Cricket Board from just two minutes back says it's raining in Bready. So the toss has been delayed, given it was originally scheduled for three minutes back. Meanwhile, while it rains in Bready, there's always cricket to follow from another part of the world. It's Qualifier 1 at the LPL, where Galle Gallants have opted to bowl against Jaffna Kings in Colombo. So you can shift your focus to a T20 before moving back to the ODI here.
Imran: "Good Morning. Waiting for the match from Kabul. Tell us about the weather?" --- A Cricket Ireland tweet from 30 mins back says it's raining. We don't have any other update since.
Farid: "A new era begins for Afghanistan cricket. The first match under the new captain. Hopefully the journey starts with a memorable victory."
But wait, it has been raining in the lead up to the match in Bready today, so there could be a delayed start. Who knows, though, when the weather clears and the action begins? Hang tight... to hope.
10am The 2027 World Cup is another 14 months away, but the build-up to it has already begun. The tournament will be played in a new format, and Ireland and Afghanistan, today's opponents, will hope to secure a place among the final 12 teams who will play the World Cup. Today is the first of the five-match series between the two sides, who - and not least Afghanistan - have been so near yet so far in the big tournaments in the past.
