Sri Lanka vs New Zealand | New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka, 2024 | 3rd ODI

Right then, this marks the end of New Zealand's long tour in the sub-continent and it has ended as it began as rain called off their one-off Test against Afghanistan and it has now washed out their final game in Sri Lanka as well. Sri Lanka on the other hand end the home season with just one ODI loss in 2024 and have swept all five home ODI series. Next up for the Lankans, they travel to South Africa to play a couple of Test matches as the Kiwis fly home to welcome England for a three-match Test series as well. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of this series and you can switch tabs and check all the latest fixtures and coverage. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Charith Asalanka now goes on to collect the series-winning trophy and hands it over to some of the new guys as the Lankan players rejoice at the podium and pose for a team photograph.

Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka is handed the series-winner check and he then comes up for a chat. He says that he is really pleased with the ODI calendar and it is not easy to win five series on the bounce even at home. Adds that they gave the players a chance and individually, they did really well. Reckons that the team seems settled right now but they can still improve on a few things. Mentions that he is enjoying captaincy and ends up lauding the efforts of Kusal Mendis, the bowlers and the fielding as well.

The captain of New Zealand, Mitchell Santner says that it was going to be challenging to play here as the conditions are different from what they have at home. Feels that his players would have learned a lot from this tour. Mentions that it is a shame that the rain came in and we could never resume but you expect that in this part of the world. Tells that Young and Nicholls did a good job and the way the wicket was playing, they were eying a big score. Shares that it has been a different experience to captain the side and the new faces brought a lot of energy to the team. Concludes that they have played a lot in the last few months but can now enjoy a few days of rest before the Test series against England.

Kusal Mendis is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his brilliance with the bat. Since he has been released from the squad, Avishka Fernando collects the award on his behalf.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier, the toss went Mitchell Santner's way, and New Zealand opted to put runs on the board. Tim Robinson fell early, but Will Young and Henry Nicholls started promisingly, aided by some indisciplined bowling from the Lankan pacers. The introduction of spin helped the hosts bring the scoring rate down, but the search for a second wicket continued before the heavens opened up, 21 overs into the game. After that, the rain stopped a couple of times but before we could get a resumption time, it was back on and the umpires had to give in and Sri Lanka end up winning the ODI series 2-0.

UPDATE - 2.18 pm GMT - Well then, the news we all dreaded is here and the 3rd ODI between Sri Lanka and New Zealand has been ABANDONED DUE TO RAIN! It's a shame as this match would have been a great way for both teams to gauge the depth of their bench and allow a few fringe players to make a mark but the persistent rain has played spoilsport.

UPDATE - 2.07 pm GMT - Uh oh.....yes, you guessed it right! The rain has returned. It’s been that kind of day. The waiting game continues!

UPDATE - 1.53 pm GMT - Great news! According to one of the on-air commentators, Roshan Abeysinghe, the rain has stopped, and the ground staff should soon begin their work to get the ground ready for play, starting with removing the excess water from the covers. Let’s hope the rain doesn’t return and spoil the hard work of the ground staff.