Rain washes out final ODI as Sri Lanka seal series 2-0
The third and final one-day international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Pallekele was abandoned after just 21 overs due to persistent rain on Tuesday. With the series already secured by Sri Lanka, the washout denied fans a full conclusion to the contest.
Umpires officially called off the match at 19:45 local time (14:15 GMT) as the rain showed no signs of easing. Sri Lanka had already claimed the series 2-0 following their thrilling three-wicket victory on Sunday, their fifth ODI series win of the year.
“We had a very good year,” Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said. “We wanted to give players a fair run, and that faith is paying back.”
New Zealand had looked on course for a competitive total after winning the toss and opting to bat. An unbeaten 88-run partnership between Will Young (56 not out) and Henry Nicholls (46 not out) helped them reach 112-1 before rain intervened.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner expressed disappointment at the interruption. “We had a good start, and it was a pretty good wicket. We were eyeing a big score,” he said.
Both teams rotated their squads for the dead rubber, with Sri Lanka handing a debut to Chamindu Wickramasinghe and New Zealand to Zakary Foulkes.
New Zealand will now prepare to host England in a three-match Test series later this month.
(Source: AFP)
