It’s rain again, cupcakes

BANGALORE: For those who don’t know, the cupcakes on Church Street in Bangalore are right up there with the very best in the world. For 100 rupees, just R20, you can get three of the little devils, of various flavours, and then walk it off on one of the city’s busiest intersections.

It really has got that barrelscrapingly bad this week, as the second Test between India and South Africa fizzles out to a soppy ending of nothingness.

For a while yesterday, both sets of players ventured out on to the field, in blind hope that the parting skies might allow them some action.

At first, play was expected to start at midday, which then got pushed back to 2pm, due to a sodden outfield. But, no sooner had 2pm been confirmed as the starting time than the heavens parted again, and that annoying drizzle that defeats the best-laid plans put paid to yet another day.

It has gone beyond a joke now. Three days of nothing but mindless chatter and waiting.

The second day washout at least came soon enough to allow those who sleep in to stay beneath the covers, as umpires called it off well before lunch.

The third and fourth day started with hope, but persistent clouds hovering over Bangalore soon ensured that there was no action.

It is the highest amount of rain to fall in this place in November in more than 100 years.

It is infinitely worse in the South of India. Bangalore is only getting the side scrapings of a cyclone that has ravaged Chennai, the capital of South India.

Submerged

More than 50 people have died already, with buses being submerged in the deluge.

That puts some sobering perspective on a few days of cricket lost.

Of course, one can lament that what was shaping up to be a huge battle for South Africa has ended in just one forgettable day’s work, but such is cricket when the elements get involved. It also didn’t help that when the rain did stop, parts of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium outfield had drainage issues, which meant further delays.

India nipped out in the afternoon for a kick-about, which raised the biggest cheer in the stadium since Saturday.

That seems a long time ago now, and it is almost certainly the last bit of action that will be seen in this match. It is not quite how many envisaged A B de Villiers’s 100th Test, but no one would have seen a cyclone coming.

And so, with little else to do, scribes from near and far are left to hit the streets of Bangalore, finding random delights to kill time.

If you ever are in Bangalore, and have a sweet tooth, try the mobile stand that goes by the name of “Bite Me”, in the middle of Church Street.

In our little threesome, one ordered a chocolate caramel, the other a blueberry, and yours truly had a cheeky red velvet number.

Each one looked immaculate, with a perfect icing-tocake ratio, just a perfect mid-afternoon mouthful.

Clearly, these cricket withdrawal symptoms are very real.