Live Score

1:58 PM IST & 9:28 PM Local Time: Good news, folks! The rain has stopped and the ground staff are removing the covers. The two on-field umpires have made their way to the middle for an inspection. The inspection is done from the umpires. The England players are sitting in the dugout and are having a chat. Oh Dear! The Rain is back and the covers are coming back on.

2:06 PM IST & 9:36 PM Local Time: More covers are coming on in order to protect the bowlers run-up area. The rain has gotten heavier at the Hagley Oval.

2:24 PM IST & 9:54 PM Local Time: The umpires are making their way out to the middle to have a chat with the head of the ground staff. They have their umbrellas up, which suggests that it's still raining. The cut off time for a 5-over contest is 10:33 PM Local Time (3:03 PM IST).

2:37 PM IST & 10:07 PM Local Time: Looks like the rain has stopped. The umpires don't have their umbrellas open and the ground staff are taking off the covers. 

2:42 PM IST & 10:12 PM Local Time: Oh no! Just when it seemed like the weather had cleared up, the rain has returned once again at Hagley Oval. The inevitable news has arrived from Hagley Oval. The match has been Abandoned due to persistent rain. The England players are now making their way over to the New Zealand dressing room in order to shake hands. 

Well, the rain had the final say in this contest as the first T20I of the series has been officially called off.

Earlier in the day, Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to have England bat first. The new ball offered some swing and seam movement, making life tricky for the English top order. Phil Salt fell cheaply in the second over, followed by Jacob Bethell in the fifth for 15, leaving England on the back foot. Jos Buttler struggled to get much of the strike after the Powerplay, while skipper Harry Brook played an aggressive counter-attacking innings.

Brook launched two huge sixes off Jimmy Neesham before being dismissed for 20 in the same over. Tom Banton and Buttler fell in quick succession after the drinks break, and Jordan Cox couldn’t hold firm, scoring 16 off 18 balls. Sam Curran was the shining light for England, staying till the end and striking 3 fours and 2 sixes to finish unbeaten on 49, guiding England past the 150-run mark. They closed their 20 overs on 153/6, with Santner deploying six bowlers — all chipping in with a wicket apiece.

Unfortunately, during the innings break, rain returned and refused to relent, forcing the match to be abandoned without a ball being bowled in the second innings. Stay tuned for the Post-Match Presentation!

Harry Brook (England Captain): "Yeah it did a little bit to start with. Obviously their bowlers were very experienced with the new ball, Matt Henry especially and he made most use of the surface.

We obviously wanted to adapt to the situation and the surface but with the depth of batting we have got, we feel that we can go hard all the way through. We got some extremely powerful and talented players in the squad. So, if we don't get off to a good start, we can always accelerate at the end. 

We need to adapt to the surface a bit quickly. It was tough out there and we need to know our options and use them. We need to use our boundary options and use it to our best ability.

It has been good so far. We have a great bunch of lads. The environment has been really good in the squad and we are looking forward to the next game of the series."

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): "Yeah, there was a little bit in as we thought bowling first. The guys started very well with the new ball. A good all-round performance from the boys.

If it's doing a bit, Duffy is a great exponent. Jimmy in the middle as well. It's easy to throw the ball to someone who does the job.

It's a start. Probably will be playing on different surfaces. In India, traditionally, it will be slow but flat surfaces. We will head to Sri Lanka. But before that, win the series and make the fans happy.

It was good. It was challenging on the field. But it's nice to be back with the lads.

We pride ourselves on adapting. If the wicket does the same, we will see how it is. Chipping in with wickets is key in T20 cricket and I thought our new-ball bowlers were good."

A damp end to the series opener. The second game will be played on Monday at the same venue. Hoping that the rain stays away. For now, it's time for us to take your leave. This is Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Pritam Dey, scorer Yogesh Kumar and statistician Aman. Bye bye.