England v Australia LIVE: Cricket score and updates from fourth ODI at Lord’s as play finally starts

Salt thrashes a drive square, but he doesn’t get the rewards and it’s stopped by Maxwell at backward point.

Salt has whacked one straight back at Starc, it has crashed into the bowler’s foot and deflected off his shin for a couple of runs.

Hazlewood’s first over was a maiden, and Duckett is just struggling to get him away.

After eight deliveries he had yet to go for any runs, but the next ball he adds to his tally with a quick tuck around the corner for another couple to take England into double figures in the fourth over.

But immediately afterwards he follows it up with one that just goes past the outside edge

A short ball is well pulled away by Duckett for England’s first boundary of the innings and Alex Carey chases it in his unfamiliar position in the field.

Starc bowls and Duckett drives hard straight back at the bowler, it was a very difficult chance but has been put down and the Australian bowler is there wringing his hand out.

His line and length have been so difficult for both openers and they are struggling to score anything here. Another one goes straight past the outside edge.

Duckett slices one up and over the slips, it was a bit wider and bounces before the man on the boundary, it took him a while to get off the mark, 8 deliveries, but the first sign of width has brought rewards.

He follows it up with another two to long leg, and another pair into the covers.

Hazlewood will bowl from the Nursery End, the first two balls of the over just go past the outside edge of Phil Salt’s bat.

He has bowled the ideal line and length so far, and the next one goes straight through the England opener.

Salt struck on the pad, comes out of his crease, the ball bobbles behind him as all the players rush towards the wicket, but he is able to get back and put his bat down.

Starc will kick things off from the pavilion end with ball in hand to bowl against Phil Salt, who manages to tuck one away behind square for the first runs of the England innings.

The single brings Duckett on strike, who has to crab-like dig out a yorker first up, the next one shows a bit of movement and has just defended it into the off side.

On the other side, the sun has been applauded as it comes out from behind the clouds for the first time today. It’s not clear where the blue sky is coming from, but clearly it’s there.

The final ball of the over beats the outside edge of Duckett’s bat on its way through to the wicketkeeper.

The ground staff have been working hard at Lord’s, helped by the impressive drainage:

The stumps are going back into the ground, the last of the covers have come off and we are just waiting for an official start time, and to find out how many overs have been lost with the more than two hour delay.

The match has been shortened to 39 overs, 20 minutes at the interval, and will start at 2.45pm.

The super-sopper has stopped and the covers are starting to come off for a second time at Lord’s, but the sky is quite grey over towards Maida Vale, and the rain has not gone far away.

The three umpires in their pink tops and black trousers have come out onto the field to inspect the pitch.

As soon as the covers went on the rain was the heaviest it had been all day.

Currently it is showing no signs of abating, but the ground staff are working hard and the super-sopper has just come onto the field to try and mop up some of the additional moisture.

It’s bad news at Lord’s just 12 minutes before the game was due to start and the covers have gone back on, the stumps have come out of the ground and it looks like there will be another delay.