The final ODI of the 5-match
series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was called off due to rain
after a wait of over three hours.
Sri Lanka were reeling at 123/8 in 28.3 over when rain played
spoilsport. This was the second game to be washed out in the series. Sri
Lanka won the ODI series 3-0.
Rain robbed New Zealand's best chance of sneaking in a win in a
one-sided series, after they restricted Sri Lanka to 123 for 8 in
Hambantota. The match began under sunny skies, but little over two hours
after the start, rain forced the players off the field and they
remained indoors till half past eight, when another downpour brought a
soggy end to an ill-timed series. All six matches on tour were affected
by rain, with Sri Lanka taking the one-dayers 3-0.
While Sri Lanka were the superior side from the context of the series,
New Zealand would have every reason to feel let down by the weather in
this game. For a change they found a way to express themselves and it
came via their seamers to put the hosts under early pressure. After
opting to bowl first in conditions expected to suit the fast bowlers,
Tim Southee, Adam Milne and Trent Boult utilised the swing to their
advantage to nip out early wickets. Upul Tharanga played the lone hand
as the rest failed to stick around to build partnerships.
It all started with Southee's peach which swung away late and hit the
off stump before Dinesh Chandimal could get his bat down. That was
enough to convince the bowlers that the fuller length was the order of
the day. The wicketkeeper and the slips had to stay alert, as BJ Watling
found out when he failed to hang on to a touch chance off Tharanga when
on 6. Southee struck again when he removed a fluent Lahiru Thirimanne
by inducing an outside edge, giving Watling a chance to make amends.
It was the short delivery that claimed Angelo Mathews, who miscued a
pull off Boult to Southee at fine leg. Even the experienced Kumar
Sangakkara found the going tough against the most inexperienced of the
seam trio, Milne, and edged to the keeper. It was a dismissal that would
have made the bowling coach Shane Bond proud. The ball landed on middle
and nipped away, squaring up the left-hander. Milne posed questions to
the other left-hander Tharanga as well, and looked like he deserved more
than one wicket as the halfway stage.
Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga showed some initiative in a stand of 47,
stepping out to the spin of Nathan McCullum when the seamers were
getting a breather. McCullum, though, had the last laugh when he took
aim at the bowler's end and knocked the stumps with Jayawardene short of
his ground. A wild slash by Jeevan Mendis off Andrew Ellis saw him walk
back for a fourth-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka at 92 for 6 in the 24th
over.
Tharanga reached his fifty, and when he edged Southee to Watling on 60,
the rain arrived. New Zealand didn't have the pleasure of bowling the
Sri Lankans out but they went back with some positives, having run Sri
Lanka close in at least two matches. With two Tests to play, at
different venues, one would feel the teams haven't seen the last of the
rain, with the monsoon in full swing.
Full Scorecard
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first.
No Result
| Batting - Sri Lanka 1st innings | Runs | B | 4's | 6's | S/R | |
| Tharanga | c †Watling b Southee | 60 | 94 | 8 | 0 | 63.83 |
| Chandimal | b Southee | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thirimanne | c †Watling b Southee | 17 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 113.33 |
| Mathews | c Southee b Boult | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sangakkara+ | c †Watling b Milne | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 31.25 |
| Jayawardene* | run out ( McCullum ) | 24 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 92.31 |
| Mendis | c Taylor b Ellis | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Perera | c Milne b Ellis | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 110 |
| Eranga | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dananjaya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Malinga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | (b 0, lb 3, w 3, nb 0, pen ) | 6 | ||||
| Total | (28.3 overs , 8 wickets ) | 123 ( 4.35 runs per over) | ||||
Fall of wickets: 1 - 3 (Chandimal, 1.3), 2 - 33 (Thirimanne, 5.6), 3 - 34 (Mathews, 6.5), 4 - 44 (Sangakkara, 12.2), 5 - 91 (Jayawardene, 23.1), 6 - 92 (Mendis, 23.6), 7 - 119 (Perera, 27.5), 8 - 123 (Tharanga, 28.3)
| Bowling - New Zealand 1st Innings | O | M | R | W | NB | WD | E/R |
| Boult | 5.0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4.6 |
| Southee | 5.3 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3.4 |
| Milne | 5.0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 |
| McCullum | 7.0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Nicol | 2.0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ellis | 4.0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 |
Match details
Toss: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first.Umpires: IJ Gould and TH Wijewardene
Third Umpire: RSA Palliyaguruge
Referee: AJ Pycroft
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