The third One-Day International between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was abandoned due to persistent rain, with only 21 overs played on Sunday at the Pallekele International Stadium. New Zealand, batting first in the dead-rubber match, reached 112 for 1 before the downpour halted proceedings.
Having already lost the series after defeats in the first two games, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. Despite a strong start with Tim Robinson striking boundaries off Dilshan Madhushanka in the opening over, the visitors suffered an early setback. Robinson fell in the fourth over, mis-hitting a drive to mid-off and giving Mohamed Shiraz his maiden ODI wicket.
Will Young, however, capitalized on loose deliveries from Sri Lanka’s bowlers, driving and cutting confidently. He struck consecutive boundaries off both Shiraz and Chamindu Wickramasinghe. Henry Nicholls complemented Young’s aggression, effectively using laps and sweeps to rotate the strike. Together, they built an unbeaten 88-run partnership, with Young reaching his eighth ODI half-century shortly before rain ended the match.
The series concluded with Sri Lanka winning 2-0.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 112/1 (Will Young 56*, Henry Nicholls 46*) vs Sri Lanka. Match abandoned due to rain.
Source: Cricbuzz
