Rain opened proceedings from the Paddington end, with big grey clouds coming off the long run. Sunshine was immediately on the back foot, playing and missing several times with clouds at their menacing best.
Sunshine tried briefly to counter-attack in the face of the watery onslaught but was clearly outplayed in the morning session by a unit which was too big, too strong, too committed and too prone to condensation.
Sunshine struggled to make an impact at all before the lunch break, as Rain made full use of the conditions and local knowledge to restrict sunshine’s scoring options.
The best moments for Sunshine came after lunch, when it played some sparkling strokes through the covers.
But the resistance was all too brief as Rain asserted its authority and the teams went to the tea break with Rain in a dominant position.
Rain continued to dominate throughout the afternoon as the crowd lost patience with the one-sided affair and trickled out the gates. Even the Richies.
It remains to be seen whether Sunshine can recover from this point, but its performance thus far has already been deeply disappointing for those who’d hoped for a more even contest between two mismatched outfits.
Whether sunshine can earn some respect at all is a question for another day. For now, suffice to say that a fading power has shown only the barest signs of resurgence.
Oh and in the cricket, the West Indies advanced to 7 for 248 from their overnight score of 6 for 207. The small passage of play that occurred was actually pretty interesting.
James Pattinson was wayward and got smashed by Carlos Brathwaite for a couple of whopping big sixes, before finding his line and dismantling Brathwaite's stumps.
Tomorrow is McGrath Foundation day when everyone is encouraged to wear pink and donate to the McGrath Foundation, which seeks to raise $380,000 this year to fund one new Breast Care nurse for three years.