The clash between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup was called off owing to heavy rain, thereby resulting in sharing the points between both teams. The match took place on Tuesday after a remarkable display of batting by the home team in Colombo.

Sri Lanka made a good start to the batting as Nilakshika De Silva's explosive fifty superbly complemented Captain Chamari Athapaththu's elegant fifty, leading to 258 for 6 at R. Premadasa Stadium, a competitive total.

Rain washes out Sri Lanka’s hopes after dominant batting show

New Zealand had just gotten ready to start their chase, when suddenly, the venue was hit by heavy rain and the match was called off without the second inning having a ball bowled at all. This was a disappointment for Sri Lanka, who, after taking the initiative with the bat, looked ready for their first win of the tournament.

“We assessed the conditions and played good cricket. Unfortunately, we can’t complete the game. Next game is crucial. We need to win three games. Hope we can play without any rain,” skipper Athapaththu said after the washout.

The no-result left Sri Lanka rooted at seventh place with 2 points from four matches, while New Zealand, who have now faced two defeats and a washout, sit fifth on the table with 3 points — their semifinal hopes taking a serious hit.

“Shame the weather kept us off, we were excited for the chase. Stats and numbers can only go that far. Sometimes it is about gut,” New Zealand captain Sophie Devine remarked. “It’s about manipulating match-ups and learning. Another experience for our bowlers — now it’s about re-adjusting and moving on,” she added.

Rain was the second time to disrupt the Sri Lankan campaign, which was already affected by their previous match against Australia that also ended without a result.

Previously, Athapaththu (53 off 72) was already her usual self showing class, hitting seven boundaries in a patient innings, whereas Nilakshika (55* off 28) was catalyst— crushing the fastest fifty of the tournament with seven fours and one six.

Athapaththu together with young opener Vishmi Gunaratne (42) created a firm 101-run opening partnership, which was then succeeded by the scoring of the other players, namely Hasini Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26). Though New Zealand tightened their defense after the powerplay, Sri Lanka’s end-of-innings surge took them past the 250 mark before rain decided the result.

(With PTI Inputs)