Persistent rain forces teams to share points

Persistent rain meant that South Africa and Australia ended up sharing points as the seventh match of the tri-series on Sunday (June 19), at Bridgetown, Barbados, was abandoned after only one over was bowled. The two points from the game helped South Africa (12 points) consolidate their top position while Australia (11 points) remained second.
Overcast conditions greeted both teams when Australia skipper Steven Smith won the toss and decided to bowl first. They made three changes, bringing in Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in place of Travis Head, Adam Zampa and Nathan Coulter-Nile. AB de Villiers, representing South Africa for the 200th time in ODIs, announced one change, mentioning that Morne Morkel was getting his first game, in place of Tabraiz Shamsi.
Quinton de Kock got South Africa off to a promising start before the first shower arrived and forced the players off the field after the opening over. After a lengthy delay, the rain relented but water had flown on to the pitch, forcing the umpires to schedule a couple of inspections. Soon, rain returned and the match was eventually called off.
South Africa were chasing a victory that would have guaranteed them a spot in a final, but had to be satisfied with the couple of points, which still put them in pole position in the standings. The no-result, however, left Australia with a must-win situation against West Indies in their next game on Tuesday (June 21).
In case Australia win their next game, they will be through to the final, which will mean that West Indies would need a bonus-point victory against South Africa, considering the Proteas' positive net run-rate.