Australia will face West Indies in a virtual semi-final after rain ruined their ODI tri-series clash with South Africa in Barbados. Heavy showers hit Kensington Oval in the morning but play started as scheduled on Sunday, when Steve Smith opted to bowl first.
Players were forced off the field after just one over, with the Proteas 8-0, and play never resumed, with the contest eventually abandoned at 8.20am AEST. The covers were on for three-and-a-half hours and left a dangerous wet patch on the pitch when they were eventually peeled off. The umpires eventually gave up hope of a result after two pitch inspections, the latter coinciding with a fresh downpour. Officials scheduled another inspection but with the covers firmly in place they gave up hope before then.
Smith’s team will return to the venue for a must-win game against West Indies today. Australia will finish third on the table and miss the series decider, which starts next Sunday, if they lose to the hosts. “We have to win one more of our last two games and that’ll basically put us in the final. We’d like to wrap that up tomorrow against South Africa,” Smith said ahead of the clash with the Proteas.  The game was AB de Villiers’ 200th ODI for South Africa but he failed to face a single ball.
Australia recalled allrounder Glenn Maxwell plus pacemen Starc and Scott Boland at the expense of Travis Head, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa. It was Boland’s first game on the tour, while Proteas veteran Morne Morkel was also making his first appearance in the tri-series.

Shami in the pink over conditions for day-night Tests
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has offered positive feedback on the pink ball in Indian conditions, after it was used on an experimental basis during a domestic game at Eden Gardens.
In April, India’s cricket board decided that one game of an upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand would be a day-night affair, pending trials of the pink ball. The 26-year-old, who picked up five wickets playing for Mohun Bagan in the day-night final, said South Asian conditions favoured swing with the pink ball, which was an exciting prospect.
“With red or white balls, there was some visibility problem as it took (on) the colour of grass,” he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. “Definitely I will prefer this (pink) ball, this is much better. The biggest plus point is (the swing) under lights, what else does a bowler want? It’s challenging for both batsmen and bowlers. If we can maintain the dryness, I’m sure it will reverse. It did (reverse), I noticed.”
Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha echoed Shami’s sentiments but said pace would prove challenging for batsmen. “Every ball is swinging a bit either way which was never the case with the red (ball).The visibility is perfect,” Saha told PTI.
“But batsmen will have problem if a pacer consistently bowls at 140km per hour.”