12:28 pm Well, the news we were all hoping to avoid is finally here. The game has been officially abandoned as the rain continues to fall in Manchester. It looks like the weather has had the final say today. Both the Super Giants and Phoenix will take two points each. That will be all from us for this match, folks. Thank you for staying with us, and we'll see you next time for more cricket action right here on Cricinfo! Goodbye!

12:16 pm The umpires are out in the middle for another inspection, but there's no other movement to report. The hover cover is still firmly over the pitch and infield, as the rain continues to fall. Meanwhile, the ground staff are working tirelessly, trying their best to mop up the water from the covers.

12:01 pm Well, it looks like the rain is back again. Just as the spectators were settling in, taking off their raincoats, and putting away their umbrellas, they are forced to head back under cover. The wait continues. As a reminder, we need at least 25 balls per side to get a result today, and we have officially started losing overs as of 11:30 AM local time.

Head coach of Manchester Super Giants Women, Matthew Mott on Sky Sports: "[Part of a new franchise] It's very special. When I was invited to go for the role by Tom Moody, I interviewed with the owners, and immediately I felt like they had a really good structure around the team. I thought we were going to be well-resourced. Manchester's an easy place to come to; I spent a lot of time playing league cricket up this way, so it's a very attractive destination. I've been thoroughly impressed by the owners. We had a great night in London the other day, and there's a lot of alignment with ownership in the way we want to play the game, which is very important. [You've assembled quite the team] Yeah, I think we were pretty well-versed heading into the auction. I'd never really been through an auction before, so Tom, who'd been through a number of them, gave us a lot of really good strategies, like not necessarily going for your number one pick straight away, but trying to align with a clear structure on how we wanted to play. Clearly, we pre-signed incredibly well with Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Ecclestone, and obviously our captain in Meg Lanning. In the auction itself, Sarah Taylor was a massive boost for us with the local players, and we had really good intel. I think we balanced our squad quite nicely. [What is the process from the start?] It's tricky. Obviously, I hadn't really done it before, so for me, it was about leaning on the experience around the group. Meg had been in that position a few times before. Nailing her down as captain was a major coup given her knowledge of the women's game worldwide. Having someone of Sophie's stature around this neck of the woods was huge too, so we leaned on that quite a bit. My theory, and we'll see if it works, is that in the women's game, strong batting is where a lot of matches are won. In The Hundred, you want your best batters facing a lot of balls, so that's what we went with. Then we wanted a bowling unit that's versatile, can take wickets at the right time, and shut things down if needed. We built around that. We've got a very strong opening pair, but our real super-strength is the number of all-rounders through the middle. We're sort of never bowled out, with depth down to 10 or 11 at times, which can really help snatch a run here or there.

[Captain Meg Lanning] We have some really good, honest conversations, Meg and I. We've built up a lot of trust in each other. We developed that quite early in my tenure with the Australian women's team, and it's never changed. We always have robust conversations and certainly don't agree on everything, but you wouldn't know that once we present back to the group because we're always aligned. We thrash it out and ask other people their opinions to make sure we've got a varied view, but there's always great alignment. She's a pleasure to work with. Anyone who's worked with her knows she doesn't do fluff; if you're going to talk to her, you want to be very direct. We complement each other quite well, so the players always find somewhere clear to land. We certainly don't think we know everything, so we try to get the best out of both the senior and junior players to come up with the best strategy.

[Coaching in franchise cricket] It's a great question, and the short answer is that it's very different. Having coached in a national system, you follow those players 12 months a year; basically following their every movement through management systems, so you've got eyes on them all the way through. The franchise system is quite different; you need to be very efficient. That's a word we've used a lot already. You don't have a lot of prep time coming in, so when you train, you have to be spot on. We only get two-hour windows to work with players because there are four teams training at the venue. I just think it's a lot more focused on getting to the pointy end of what the real needs are, which in many ways gets rid of a lot of junk training and wasted time. I find it quite good. Then it's about trying to get to know the players as quickly as possible without overplaying it. [Team bonding in short tournaments] That's another good question, and days like today, funnily enough, build a lot of rapport. The girls are in there mucking around, playing all sorts of stupid games to entertain themselves. But these rain days, as frustrating as they are, actually build a lot of rapport between players and staff. You're stuck inside asking questions about where people have come from, and that's the main hook; players want to feel like you care. It's important to get to know them as a person, but less is more. You can't try to rewrite a player's journey when so many other coaches have had an influence. A lot of the questions I ask are about the best coaches they've worked with and what their methods were, so we can support that rather than imposing new views on someone in a short space of time.

[What are your non-negotiables?] I don't think there's any one thing you can transfer across. How you carry yourself as a leadership group is really important - creating a relaxed environment where people work hard but feel like they can be themselves. We make sure that no matter what the scoreboard says, our attitude remains strong. You look after your own game first and foremost. There's a tendency for people to try to help others too much, but it's almost like an emergency situation: get your own game in order first, and then help others around you. If we can encourage people to do that, we'll go all right.

[Coaching philosophy] What I've always done is try to step back initially, read the environment, and understand the needs of the group. At the under-19 level, you're probably a bit more directive and tell people how to play based on your experiences. But when you've got more experienced players, across men's or women's, you lean into drawing on their experiences instead. Throughout my career, I've felt that some of your best coaches are your peers, so you try to create an environment where that happens naturally. Learning out in the middle is where the game is won and lost, so as a coach, sometimes you have to learn to step out of the way and allow those conversations to happen. [Coaching career] When I first got into coaching, I literally transferred straight from playing. Looking back, it was probably imposter syndrome, trying to prove that you're the coach, especially when coaching players who were a bit older than me. I remember Moises Henriques, who was a young player at the time, actually said to me, 'Do you realize you're never wrong?' I was a bit taken aback at first, but when I took time to reflect, he was right. Whenever things came up, I was always trying to make sure I knew exactly what was going on. As time goes on, you realize you're not the smartest person in the room and you can draw on others. As long as you have self-awareness about your gaps, you can find people in the group to fill them. That's what all the good coaches I've observed do: they don't try to be the bearer of all knowledge but actually sit back, pick key people in the group, and leverage off them.

[Player power in franchise cricket] Yeah, it does. In every dressing room, there are key people, and every coach wants to get the senior players on the same page to ensure strong alignment. Every team in the world wants that. Looking at what we're trying to achieve here, the fact that Meg and I have had so much experience together cuts through a lot of that, which is a real advantage for us. But it doesn't guarantee success; we've still got to get everything moving in the right direction and keep a finger on the pulse of the group. [Lanning's leadership] Meg has evolved a lot as a leader. When she first got the job, by her own admission, she was probably too young, and she didn't quite handle the first couple of years as well as she would have liked. Then she had a bad shoulder injury that kept her out for about eight months, which gave her time to reflect. She met with people outside the game about leadership, and she came back a very different person. She was a lot more empathetic, understood that not everyone was as naturally talented as she is, and brought out the best in the younger players from that moment on. She was also helped a lot by Rachael Haynes; those two had a great relationship and complemented each other's skill sets. Her evolution has been great to watch. She's a lot more open now, and not playing international cricket means she plays purely because she loves it and wants to bring out the best in everyone around her.

[Split coaches across formats] I have a lot of thoughts on that having had a couple of years to reflect, but I certainly have no regrets. There were parts of the job that were difficult when losing, particularly in India, having to front up day-in, day-out knowing you're not going to progress, but reflecting back, there isn't much I really would have changed. A lot of the red flags that popped up were sort of unavoidable. On reflection, we were underprepared going into India, but the schedule leading in was what it was, and we had obligations to play series before that. In an ideal world, we would have gone out there a lot earlier and hit the ground running, but those were the limitations. [Do you think it can work, though?] I definitely think it can work. The fact that Baz and I are good mates helped a lot, even though we were still like ships in the night and rarely saw each other in person. Looking at how Australia manages it, you can have a head coach like Andrew McDonald and then provide opportunities for different coaches during specific series. The one thing I would guard against is having the exact same support staff for all formats. If you have a split head coach role, you definitely want fresh eyes among the assistant staff - people who are lifting their heads up looking at what's next rather than rolling straight from an Ashes into a World Cup. Having people connecting with players behind the scenes is crucial, especially in white-ball cricket where you might have 60 players of interest playing all around the world at any given time.

[Coaching preference] No, I don't, nor do I have an age preference. I've coached everything from under-13 boys and girls to the elite level. I get just as much enjoyment out of seeing someone bowl overarm for the first time or hit the ball and smile. I just get great joy out of seeing people improve. Obviously, it pays better at the top level - and my wife likes to spend a bit! I do tell her I'm working four or five gigs at the moment just to put food on the table!"

11:38 am The good news is that the rain has eased off for now. The umpires are out in the middle inspecting the outfield and the pitch area.

John: "Do you know by what time this match needs to start?" Play must start by 1:15pm, John.

Meg Lanning on Sky Sports: "[Weather] No good. We've had three heatwaves here in Manchester in one day. We want to kick off The Hundred here in Manchester. It's raining, so hopefully it clears up. [Life in Manchester?] It's been nice. I've been here for a couple of months, playing with Lancashire in the Vitality Blast, so I've enjoyed the city. There are some really cool spots, and I enjoyed my time with Lancs. Now it has sort of changed up a little bit with The Hundred, so I'm looking forward to it. [Matthew Mott] it's been nice working with Motty again. Coming into this competition, there were so many new things - a full new squad, new coaching staff, and a slightly new tournament as well. To have that familiar face, understanding how he works and him understanding how I work, has been great. We were chatting the other day and we think it's just been nice to settle into that; it's one less thing to worry about in terms of getting to know each other. So far, so good.

[Balancing teams and personalities] The strategy side of the auction and putting the side together was something I found really interesting. Seeing it from the inside was something I really enjoyed, especially working with Tom Moody, who's the director of cricket here. It was nice to see it from a different perspective. You have to put a really good cricket side together, and every team has great skills. But something that was really important for us was getting good people in; people who can bring great vibes, great energy, and make the environment a fun one. We're really pleased with the squad we put together. I was just part of the crew putting it all together. I guess I've got a little bit more insight into some players, mostly the internationals, and then we have Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor who knew the local and domestic players a bit more. Depending on who it was and where they fit, it depended on who had more info on that person.

[Approach] Both of us have really good discussions, and often we feel quite similarly on a lot of things. He's the head coach and Tom Moody is the director of cricket, so they probably get a much bigger say than I do, but it's always a good chat. [Who has the loudest voice?] In terms of the playing group, we've got Maitlan Brown in our squad, who is very high energy and chirpy. She's been great at bringing everybody together. Grace Ballinger is a really cool kid as well - provides a few laughs and entertainment, and is really fiery and competitive, which I love. We haven't had long together, I think a week where everybody's been together, so there's no messing about. Sometimes it's nice just to get out there and play, and it all comes together as you want. So far, so good.

[Winning start] It's huge. Before the tournament, I was thinking you blink and three or four games are gone. You need to make sure you get yourself together for the first few games, get off to a good start, and build a bit of momentum. There is no messing about in this tournament and every game is meaningful. That's what I love about The Hundred: there's no time to ease into it. You've got to be on your game from the start. To get that first win gives you confidence and momentum heading forward. [Conditions overview] That was an added bonus of playing in this competition - seeing different people play and playing at different grounds. I hadn't actually played at Manchester before the Vitality Blast, so it was nice to get a feel for the conditions. To come up against some of the young talent coming through in England and get an idea of how they play and what skills they have is very handy for a tournament like this. [Meg Lanning's ceiling?] That's certainly been a focus of mine over the last six months; adding a couple more things to my game. With the way the game is moving, you can't stand still and expect what you've always done to keep you dominating, which is what I want to do. I don't want to just come to tournaments and be a bit-part player; I want to continue to contribute to wins and have an impact with the bat, so I've been working on a few things. I think those days are past. It was very slippery! I didn't know where it was going, but if I didn't know, then how would the batter? Bowling won't be on the cards! But it's been fun. It brought me back to training with a specific focus on the bat. If I just went through the motions, you wouldn't find me in the nets very often, so working on something specific has been quite enjoyable.

[Winning mentality] I think it comes down to being really competitive and driven. There were five kids in the Lanning family, so we had plenty of competition in the backyard with whatever we were doing. I've always had a real drive to get better and be the best I can be at things. I get super competitive, whether it's cricket or something else, so that helped build it and continue it through my career. [What's next] It would be huge. Everyone comes into the tournament wanting to win, but with everything new, bringing a new squad together, building that, and gelling as quickly as you can, that's one of the biggest challenges. The skills across all the teams are at a very high level, so it comes down to who can actually gel and get the most out of their players. That was the challenge I was looking forward to: trying to do that and working with Motty to make sure everyone feels comfortable, happy, and able to perform.

[Depth of domestic talent] I think so, and they're playing bigger roles in the games as well. We saw Ryana Macdonald-Gay play a crucial role the other day and Grace Ballinger opening the bowling. In franchise cricket, you want the international players to do the heavy lifting, but to win the tournament, you need your domestic players to perform - that's where the difference is between the teams. We feel like we've got a really strong domestic contingent within our squad as well, so hopefully that continues.

[Off-season activity] It's taken me a while to get used to it because you're so used to the international schedule, where you know exactly what it's going to look like and the structure is right there. For me, every decision I made was based on how I could get the best out of myself in that environment. Now, there are chunks of time where I'm not involved in cricket and I get to make decisions for myself and do what I want. It's about allowing myself to switch off during those breaks and understanding what prep I need to do to be ready to perform. That's the adjustment I've had to make. In international cricket, you're constantly going, so you don't necessarily think about that. It's been good to be over here playing with Lancs, take a few weeks off to travel to Europe, and then come back to prep for this. It's unusual for me because I'm not that good at switching off, so I'm still getting used to it. But it's actually made me more purposeful with my training. While I'm not on a structured program, I still do everything I need to do; I can go in, bat for an hour, be very specific, and then I'm done. In terms of the time I train, it's much the same, but I get to be much more efficient and do other things in between. [Deadline for your career] I hadn't thought about that, to be honest. Two things will dictate it: am I still contributing, and am I still enjoying it? My job as a batter is to contribute and make an impact on the game. As long as I'm still doing that and enjoying it, I'm going to keep playing. For the moment, hopefully those two things are still in play."

Naveen Chandras: "The rain has stopped for few minutes. But it has started again. Weather forecast says it will rain until 2pm slowly and gradually."

10:50 am Well, it's still raining out there relentlessly. It's not just a drizzle, nor is it a heavy downpour; it's somewhere right in between. Not a great sight for cricket fans on a Sunday morning, geez!

10:18 am It's still raining in Manchester and the toss has been officially delayed. Looks like we'll need to wait a bit for better news to come through.

10:11 am Both teams have played one game so far in this new edition of The Hundred. The Super Giants started in dominant fashion, bundling out London Spirit for just 80 before chasing down the target with 7 wickets in hand and 41 balls to spare. On the other hand, the Phoenix stumbled in their opener against the Trent Rockets, posting just 64 on the board before sliding to a 9-wicket defeat. It's still early days in the tournament, and both sides are working to fine-tune their tactics and team combinations. They will be desperate to pick up early momentum and grab crucial points on the table. The last five head to head encounters are dead even - the Super Giants and Phoenix have two wins each, with the remaining game washed out due to rain.

10:05 am Hello and good morning, folks! Welcome to Cricinfo's live ball-by-ball coverage of the Women's Hundred 2026. It's match number 7, where the Manchester Super Giants Women lock horns with the Birmingham Phoenix Women, live from Old Trafford, Manchester. There's rain in the forecast today, so keep an eye out!