Women's WC: Rain delays start of Sri Lanka-Australia clash

Relentless rain and overcast conditions delayed the start of the Women's World Cup group-stage clash between Sri Lanka and seven-time champions Australia at the R Premadasa Stadium here on Saturday.

The ground remained under covers even as the giant scoreboard flashed ''Rain Rain Go Away''.

The drizzle, however, showed little sign of relenting.

A brief let-up around 2.45 pm -- 15 minutes before the toss -- had raised hopes, with patches of sunlight breaking through the grey clouds.

But, as the scheduled toss time approached, the skies darkened again, the drizzle returned, and the entire playing area was once more under covers.

By 3 pm, steady rain turned into a heavy downpour, as the entire stadium remained under covers.

Australia come into the the contest on the back of a dominant 89-run victory over New Zealand in their opening fixture.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were beaten by India in the tournament opener at Guwahati, going down by 59 runs via the DLS method.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)