Rain hands Sri Lanka 1-0 ODI series win over West Indies

June 9 (Daily Mirror) - The third and final One-Day International (ODI) between West Indies cricket team and Sri Lanka national cricket team was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Monday after persistent rain rendered the outfield unplayable, handing Sri Lanka a 1-0 series victory.

Match officials called off the contest shortly after 6 p.m. local time after determining that conditions could not be made safe for play, even if the weather improved.

Sri Lanka had seized control of the three-match series with a 41-run victory in the opening ODI, securing its first ODI win in the Caribbean in 13 years. The remaining two matches were washed out, allowing the visitors to claim the series.

“We’re very happy to win the series,” said Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis. “We did really well in that one game in all three departments. There’s not a lot of matches ahead of next year’s World Cup and I’m happy with my first series victory as captain.”

The triumph also marked the first ODI series win for Sri Lanka under head coach Gary Kirsten.

West Indies captain Shai Hope acknowledged the impact of the weather but praised Sri Lanka’s performance in the series opener.

“You can’t control mother nature,” Hope said. “Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan team for the way they played in the first game.”

The two teams will now turn their attention to the upcoming Twenty20 International (T20I) series, with the opening match scheduled to take place in Kingston on Thursday.