Sri Lanka win ODI series against New Zealand 2-0 as rain halts final match

Persistent rain in Pallekele brought an early end to the third ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, with no result declared after just 21 overs of play. Having already won the first two matches, Sri Lanka claimed the series 2-0, marking their fifth ODI series win this year.  

The match started with high expectations due to a fresh pitch, offering batters a better chance compared to the slower surfaces of the previous games. New Zealand opted to bat first after winning the toss and got off to their best start of the series. They reached 112 for 1 in 21 overs before rain disrupted the game.  

Will Young and Henry Nicholls led New Zealand’s strong start, scoring 56* and 46* respectively. Their partnership of 88 runs off 106 balls looked threatening before the rain arrived. Earlier, New Zealand scored briskly at nearly six runs per over during the first powerplay, benefiting from some wayward bowling by Dilshan Madushanka, whose two overs went for 23 runs.  

Mohamed Shiraz, playing his first game of the series, offered more control and took the only wicket, dismissing Tim Robinson with help from a sharp catch by skipper Charith Asalanka. Shiraz's disciplined spell of 5-0-23-1 included 20 dot balls.  

Both teams had made changes to test their bench strength. New Zealand handed a debut to Zakary Foulkes and included Adam Milne, while Sri Lanka made five changes, giving Chamindu Wickramasinghe his debut. Wickramasinghe bowled two overs, conceding 14 runs.  

While the match ended in disappointment, Sri Lanka's series victory reflects their consistent improvement in ODIs, a promising sign for their future campaigns.