35-2 - Clarke brings himself on. Plenty of turn earlier for Tredwell, but a wet ball won't help. Cook sweeps hard into the legside for a single. WICKET! More turn here and it does for Trott who tries to sweep the ball but is surprised to see the ball straighten from an off-stump line and hit the bail. Suddenly and inexplicably, Australia find themselves just about in the game here. Bopara's the new batsman, and he's off the mark with an easy single into the offside.
33-1 - Australia bowling well here. Run-rate not a problem for England but it would be pretty shoddy if they let this chase get up to a run a ball. Now need 105 from 120.
31-1 - Shame for Pattinson here as he ends a fine over with a wide long-hop that Trott slaps behind point for four. Any shot that sends the ball skidding across the wet outfield is going to make things harder for bowlers.
26-1 - Cook nurdles a single before Trott plays out the rest of the over defensively. These last two games have been great for Trott. The sort of ticklish run-chases where avoiding early wickets is the key rather than getting too involved with that pesky run-scoring hoopla.
Australia take their bowling powerplay straight away. Old Trafford deals with this shock admirably.
25-1 - Cook gets a single from the first ball after the resumption before Trott pings a drive straight to mid-on. The batting powerplay is concluded.
We're about to get under away again with just three overs lost. England require 138 to win from 29 overs. Powerplays now six, three and three.
The side covers rolled back up. The hovercover remains in place, while the groundsman's rope trick is performed on the outfield. One of the great mysteries of the world, of course, that a wet outfield can be instantly remedied by a rope being dragged around it by a chap in a tractor. No more rain on the radar, so it's just a race against time. We need to back under way by around 9.15pm, which we should be.
If my calculations are correct (and they almost certainly aren't) then if we're left with the minimum 20-over chase then Messrs Duckworth and Lewis would demand another 82 runs from England in the remaining 14.2 overs.
Dilemma for the groundstaff here is do they get more covers on the outfield at the cost of precious time or leave it and risk more water getting into the saturated ground. Tricky call. As I type, the side covers from the hover are being unfurled across the square. Time is ticking...
The radar suggests this is only a passing shower and the wind will soon blow it away. The problem is that - as that Doherty fielding earlier showed - the outfield is not in much condition to take on any more water. We have no time buffer here so overs are going to start coming off straight away and we need a minimum of 20 overs in England's innings to constitute a game. So if we're off for any longer than about 45 minutes that's going to be game over I'm afraid.
24-1 - Pattinson into the attack, and Cook cuts him hard in front of square for four. But the rain has returned and after a one-ball attempt to continue the hover cover is whirring into position as the batsmen trudge off. Clarke and the rest of the Australian team are more reluctant to leave the field but have no choice as the cover comes into position.
20-1 - Review! Here's a rarity; a clear umpiring error from Aleem Dar. Excellent bowling from McKay, going past Cook's outside edge and through to Wade. But fielders, bowler and umpire were deceived by the bat hitting pad just as the ball went past. Up goes Dar's finger, but Cook's review is instant and swiftly vindicated. An edge wide of the slip cordon brings Cook a single, allowing Trott to go through his guard-taking rigmarole for one delivery which he promptly leaves alone. He'll be delighted with that.
19-1 - Jonathan Trott finally on strike for the first time and able to go through his etc. and so on. You all know what he does by now. Soon into his stride, though, as he times a cut shot sweetly but has to settle for only two runs as a diving Warner at point gets a fingertip to the ball but does pick up a boundary to fine-leg next ball as Hilf strays into the pads.
13-1 - Handy end to another good McKay over as a quick single for Cook turns into two after the throw ricochets off the stump before the last ball of the over is punched to the cover boundary off the back foot.
7-1 - Ben Hilfenhaus takes the other new ball. An early wide doesn't bode well, but he gets away with a wide half-volley thanks to a smart diving stop by Warner and the only other run from the over is a pinched quick single for Cook to keep the strike. In other news, David Hussey has hurt his hamstring which is why Mitchell Johnson is fielding. Something the drunken crowd won't enjoy I'm sure.
5-1 - Cook gets England's innings up and running with a legside nurdle for one, Doherty leaving an almighty scar on the square as he slides to do the fielding. A clue there as to why this game was delayed as long as it was despite the rain relenting relatively early in the day. McKay, who has been excellent in this series horribilis for Australia, then jags one past Bell's outside edge before drifting into the pads and getting clipped away for a couple of runs. A slightly miscued square-cut brings Bell two more to third-man. WICKET! Curious early wicket to give Australia a sniff as Bell clips the ball off his pads gently to Bailey at midwicket.
Australia's players appear in decent spirits as they gather for a huddle on the outfield ahead of their attempts to defend a pitifully sub-par total. Bell and Cook stride to the middle for England.
England need 146 runs to win at 4.56 per over. Good effort from Bailey to drag his side kicking and screaming to something approaching respectability, but a little over four-and-a-half an over in a shortened chase against demoralised opponents really shouldn't be too much of a stretch for England's in-form top five. They would expect to chase 146 down in a T20; here, they have an extra 12 overs to play with.
145-7 - Bailey tries to get the ball past short fine-leg again but his hit on the toe by Anderson's yorker. Think he managed to get outside the line, and Aleem Dar says not out. Anderson was convinced that was out. Hawk-Eye backs up the umpire. McKay shovels to leg for a single before Anderson does well to follow Bailey as he backs away to leg and manages to cramp him for room. But not a second time as Bailey muscles the ball over the ropes at wide long-on for his second six. Bailey then clumps the last ball of the innings down the ground for four as Australia at least manage to take some momentum into the second innings of this match but you'd have to think they're way, way short here.
133-7 - Bailey playing a useful if futile hand for the Aussies here, helping a short ball from Broad past short fine-leg and away to the boundary before squeezing a low full-toss past the same man for four more. A hoik to leg brings a single before Clint McKay gets a most welcome boundary for his side with a genuine edge that would've presented first slip with a nice easy drop had a fielder been stationed there.
120-7 - With the infield set deep on the edge of the circle, Bailey takes a single from the first ball of the over before Pattinson latches on to some width from Finn and carves him over point for a one-bounce four. Decent shot that, and it appears to be the area he's looking to target as he tries the shot again but this time makes no contact. Round the wicket an option here for Finn to stop the batsman freeing his arms, but he stays as he is and Pattinson chops the ball towards Kieswetter and is called through for a single by Bailey. A bouncer from Finn is hooked in controlled fashion down to long-leg for a single by Bailey. Finn ends the over with a slower ball that Pattinson appears to nick through to Kieswetter who dives forward to ensure the dying ball reaches him on the full. But Aleem Dar says not out despite the clear noise as the ball passes the bat. It now seems Aleem Dar is asking the third umpire whether the ball has carried, which it clearly has. The confusion is that on the replays it's not particularly clear that the batsman did actually edge the ball. WICKET! The third umpire confirms the ball did carry, and Pattinson is on his way. As Australia still have a review left, that presumably confirms that he did hit the ball. Anyway, the upshot: Australia 120-7 and in further trouble with just two overs to go. No Hot Spot available on that dismissal, but snicko suggests the ball has come right off the toe of the bat.
The last three overs of the innings will be Australia's batting powerplay.
113-6 - For the first time in his spell, and at the start of his final over, Tredwell is given something to think about as Bailey crunches him over long-on for an impressive maximum. But the remaining five deliveries bring only three singles as Tredwell completes his top-class spell of intelligent off-spin bowling with the thoroughly merited figures of 7-1-23-2.
104-6 - Australia crawl to three figures in the 28th over. Hilariously, they still have a three-over powerplay for Bailey and the bowlers to exploit. Another near run-out as Pattinson is sent back by Bailey but he makes it safely and they get a single as the ball ricochets off the stumps.
99-6 - They just can't get Tredwell away. His bowled his six overs, but you'd imagine Cook will be making him one of the two to bowl seven. Absolutely no reason not to.
96-6 - Bopara thoroughly enjoying himself here. He and Tredwell now have combined figures of 4-19 from nine overs. The ball has spun sharply for Tredwell, but Australia's batting has been scandalously poor.
93-6 - Kieswetter almost pulls off something miraculous behind the stumps after anticipating Bailey's paddle sweep before Pattinson survivves another huge leg-before decision, but Ian Gould correctly spots the ball had pitched outside leg before spinning sharply to hit the left-hander's pads.
90-6 - NO WICKET! Poor from Bopara, you have to say.
89-6 - Another excellent over from Tredwell, but England do lose their review after referring an lbw shout against Pattinson that Hawk-Eye shows just clearing the off bail.
87-6 WICKET! The status of Bopara's arm officially upgraded to platinum as he follows up the wicket with a legside 'wide' by snaffling Hussey with a wide long-hop. Hussey tries to steer it to third-man for four but instead nicks it to Kieswetter. Bopara has 2-3, Australia are 86-6 and James Pattinson is in at number eight with a highest score of just 12. He's off the mark with a sliced drive to third-man. Bailey eats up four more deliveries but at least doesn't get out. Much of Australia's hopes now rest on his shoulders. That, he said with a degree of understatement, is a worry for Australia.
86-5 - Even in this event-filled shortened game there's still room for a little bit of mid-innings drearylull. Can't have an ODI without it.
80-5 WICKET! He's the man, the man with the Golden Arm. Ravi Bopara makes the breakthrough with his first delivery as Smith looks to flick a legside delivery away to the boundary but succeeds only in helping it into the gloves of a tumbling Kieswetter. George Bailey in at number seven with work to do to help his side out of a deep pit of despair. A couple of cover-drives get his innings under way in acceptable fashion.
77-4 - This is already the most convincing partnership of the Australian innings. Which is roughly as complimentary as saying the bread is the nicest part of a dog-dirt sandwich.
71-4 - Like this from Cook. Knows there is nothing to come in the Aussie batting line-up so decides to go for the kill by bringing Finn back into the attack. In fairness the Aussie response is a decent one as Smith punches pleasingly down the ground for four before scampering hard to get a second run for a thick inside edge into the legside. Ten runs from the over as Finn strays in line and allows Smith to clip the ball away off his hip fine.
61-4 - Some better running from this pacey pair brings five singles, but still an element of danger as Hussey tries to work Patel into the legside and gets a leading edge that just evades cover.
56-4 WICKET! Clarke goes now. England may not be able to catch a cold, but they can produce run outs with the best of them. Clarke sets off on a nonsense of a single after dropping the ball to point and never has a chance of beating Eoin Morgan's throw before it cannons into the stumps to leave Australia's innings in a horrible mess. Bad decision-making from Clarke, who defended the ball straight to the fielder and was on the back foot. David Hussey is the new batsman. Australia need a partnership from these two; there's not much to come.
52-3 WICKET! A quite brilliant piece of work from Tredwell to complete the run out of Forrest here. Wade hits down the ground and wants a second run, but Forrest lacks his pace and is struggling as the throw comes in from the deep. It's a tad wide, though, but Tredwell gathers one handed and in one smooth motion swings his arm into the stumps with Forrest inches short of his ground. Really good stuff from the bowler at his stumps. WICKET! And another one. Top-class offspin bowling from Treds here as he does Wade in the flight with the batsman unable to get to the pitch of the ball and beaten by some sharp turn. Kieswetter gathers and completes the formalities with the batsman stranded mid-pitch. Steve Smith joins his skipper in the middle with neither batsman having faced a ball while Tredwell has played a key role in all three wickets to fall. Smith off the mark with a whip through midwicket for a single, and Clarke repeats the trick from his first ball. Tredwell has figures of 2-6 from three overs.
48-1 - Wade and Forrest manage to mildly occupy the boundary sweepers as another over ticks by without MIchael Clarke or David Hussey getting to the crease.
45-1 - Fair to say that England's attempts to disprove 'catches win matches' in this series has been more successful than Australia's bid to show up 'your best batsman should bat at three' as a nonsense. Forrest plays out a maiden from Tredwell.
45-1 - Huge appeal for leg-before against Forrest. Very similar to his dismissal in the last game. Nip-backer (from Broad this time), no footwork, ball thumps into back pad. Crucial difference this time is that 'feather of an inside edge' is added to the sequence, a fact spotted by Aleem Dar, James Anderson when advising his skipper against a review, and finally Hot Spot.
44-1 WICKET! Minimal rueing for Patel as Warner falls just two balls after that extraordinary let-off in the previous over. Tredwell proving that first-over success is not the sole preserve of England's first-choice off-spinner as Warner sweeps at a straight ball, misses and is palpably leg-before. Peter Forrest got a brute of a first-baller in the last game and will probably reckon coming out to face Tredders is a tad easier than facing Finn. He's off the mark with a single down the ground. Showing replays now of that Patel drop. Interesting for two reasons. First, the reactions of the crowd and second for the fact the ball seemed to go right through the middle of his hands. Incredible.
Not in this series they don't.
42-0 - Not sure whether he's targeting Broad or just the last over of the powerplay, but Warner is upping the ante. After a dress rehearsal first ball, he launches the second of the over high over long-on for a large six. Another attempted thrash down the ground dribbles to mid-off for a single before Broad goes legside to Wade at the cost of first a wide and then a single. Drop! It's getting worse. Three drops in three overs, and this is the worst of the lot. Warner carves the ball to third-man where Patel doesn't have to move, gets in good position but then allows the ball to burst through his hands and hit him in the chest. It's a huge let-off for Warner, who is starting to look dangerous on 32 from 30 balls. Might just rue that one.
31-0 - Finn changes ends to replace Anderson at the What's-Left-of-the-Pavilion End and is promptly driven through cover-point for four by Warner. A miscue to mid-on gives him sufficient time to scamper a single from the next ball and the runs are just starting to come a bit more freely now from Warner's blade at least. Drop! Another chance for Wade as he edges low to second slip where James Tredwell seems slow to get down and ends up barely getting a finger to the ball above the turf. Unusual sight to see Tredwell in the England cordon, but that's mainly because it's an unusual sight to see him in the England side. Tougher chance than the one in the last over but a presentable one nonetheless.
24-0 - Drop! England's fielding continues to be five or six levels below their batting and bowling in this series as another relatively straightforward chance goes begging. Stuart Broad - holding the ball across the seam from the off - finds the outside edge of Wade's unwisely driving bat, but Anderson can't hold on to the chance away to his left. Given the catches we've seen him take over the last couple of years, that's a surprising error.
No restrictions on the timing of the other powerplays in this shortened game, so England play their three-over joker straight away.
22-0 - Better over for Australia as Wade scampers a quick single that reeks slightly of desperation before a couple of short-arm pull shots bring Warner first two to long-leg and then four. He's then cut in half again by an Anderson nip-backer before a couple of singles behind point end the over and the mandatory powerplay. Australia have done well to get through it, albeit with a hefty chunk of luck having to be ridden along the way.
13-0 - Finn sends another delivery snaking past the outside edge as Warner plays a back-foot defensive shot of more hope than expectation. Finn ends the over with one that jags the other way off the seam and Warner gets an inside edge past Craig Kieswetter's despairing dive for a lucky boundary. Similar to the delivery that Kieswetter grabbed so spectacularly in the last game, but a bigger nick this time which gave him no chance.
9-0 - Just reading the last over's update back and realised that 'point boundary' could cause confusion here at Old Trafford. For clarity when I say 'point' I mean the fielding position. If I'm referring to the stupid red thing I'll say 'hideous monstrosity', 'giant's letterbox' or 'scarlet folly' instead. I'm not a fan.
8-0 - Finn is harshly wided for a ball that Warner should really have cut away to the point boundary but decided to miss completely instead. Finally a significant counter-punch arrives from one of these two left-handed openers as Finn goes a touch too full and is smartly driven straight back down the ground by Warner for four. Lovely shot, compact and unfussy. A thick inside edge brings a single to long-leg. Wade blocks the last couple of deliveries. Finn, meanwhile, continues his policy of kicking over the stumps at the bowler's end almost every delivery.
2-0 - England's new-ball bowling in this series has been a joy to watch. This is a masterclass; the only person not enjoying it is Wade who is beaten twice more in this over as Anderson hits the seam on a perfect line and length to put uncertainty in the batsman's mind.
2-0 - Wonderful start from Steven Finn with the second new ball, going past Wade's outside edge twice in two balls with ball on a good line and enticing length that encourage the batsman into driving without due care and attention. Steven Finn is currently ranked number three in the ODI bowling rankings. He's the first England quick to rank that high since, er, Alan Mullally twelve years ago. Wade manages to get away from Finn with an uncomfortable fend into the legside for a single before a swing and a miss from Warner. Good start by England.
1-0 - Anderson takes the first of the new balls for England, with Wade on strike first up and off the mark nicely with a firm push back past the bowler that brings a single as mid-off scampers round. Good first over from Anderson, though, in conditions that should assist the bowlers.
Cricket at last as Alastair Cook leads his England side on to the field as Jerusalem echoes around Old Trafford. Matthew Wade steps up to open alongside David Warner in the absence of Shane Watson. Looks a decent opening combo for Thirty-two32 cricket. Interesting to see what England do later on tonight if they're chasing a decent total; none of their top three feature in the Twenty20 side.
AN Cook (capt), IR Bell, IJL Trott, RS Bopara, EJG Morgan, C Kieswetter (wk), SR Patel, JC Tredwell, SCJ Broad, ST Finn, JM Anderson
DA Warner, MS Wade (wk), PJ Forrest, MJ Clarke (capt), DJ Hussey, GJ Bailey, SPD Smith, BW Hilfenhaus, XJ Doherty, CJ McKay, JL Pattinson
Both sides going with plenty of spin options today as James Tredwell comes into the England team, while Steve Smith and Xavier Doherty are in the canary yellow of Oz.
England have elected to bowl after winning the toss at Old Trafford and play is still due to start at 5.30pm as the drizzle clears.
Bad news, it's spitting again in Manchester and the covers are back on. More news to come when we get it.
Play will start at 5.30pm, with the match reduced to 32 overs per side. Seven overs of powerplay at the start of each innings, with three-over segments for the batting and bowling powerplays. Two bowlers per side to bowl a maximum of seven, the others a maximum of six.
The umpires are inspecting again. Some suspicious squelching of feet in damp areas. Aleem Dar's body language is not that of a man ready to crack on with a game of cricket. But at least it isn't raining.
Some lad has apparently won some competition or other, the prize being the chance to chug the heavy roller up and down the Old Trafford pitch for a bit. Ah yes, what small child doesn't dream of one day becoming a groundsman. Perhaps later there'll be a kid struggling to drag a sodden tarpaulin on and off the square. Congratulations!
The result of the inspection is that there will be another inspection at 4pm, just one the next load of rain should arrive. Grand.
The umpires are inspecting. Aleem Dar looks unhappy with several dark, muddy patches. One look at Dar's magnificent hair will tell you how reluctant he is to accept anything other than pristine conditions.
Important to get these things precisely right. Boucher has 1000 international dismissals; 998 as a keeper, one as a fielder, one as a bowler.
Everything ready for the inspection. Main cover slid away from the pitch, but it's not gone very far.
The covers have been removed from the square. The main cover remains on the pitch, but the rain has stopped and it looks like we'll at least get the 3pm inspection in for all you umpire-looking-suspiciously-at-damp-grass fans.
A statistical quirk of Boucher's career: he has 555 dismissals to his name in Tests, and 444 in ODIs and T20Is for a combined 999. But rather brilliantly he does sneak over the line to record 1000 international dismissals: DJ Bravo c Prince b Boucher 107 in a run-laden drawn Test at St Johns in which South Africa used 11 bowlers in an innings as West Indies compiled 747 in response to South the Proteas' 588-6dec.
Feeling at the ground is that play could get under way around 5.30pm if there's no more rain. But the radar shows another band of rain heading our way and set to arrive at about 4pm. Frustrating.
Sad news, if you missed it earlier today, that Mark Boucher has confirmed his retirement from international cricket after that freak and sickening eye injury he suffered at Somerset yesterday. The most worrying thing in his statement was reference to heading home to a "a road of uncertain recovery". It's not about cricket any more, but it's going to be strange to play against South Africa without Boucher sledging merrily away behind the timbers. One of the greats, and he'll be missed. Here's hoping for a full recovery. His Test record of 555 dismissals is going to stand for decades, and possibly forever. Of current players, next best is MS Dhoni with 220-odd.
This day-nighter was due to get under way at 2pm. It won't. The umpires are going to have another look at the conditions at 3pm, which means there's not much chance of play before 4pm unfortunately. At the moment the covers remain on.
It's the final match of this keenly-contested one-day series between England and the weather. England currently lead 3-1, but the weather looks well placed to gain a consolation victory in this final game at Old Trafford where it's currently raining. Apparently Australia have been involved in this series as well, but there's absolutely no evidence available to support such a claim.