KINGSTON: Sri Lanka won the one-day series against the West Indies 1-0 after incessant rain forced the third and final match at Sabina Park on Monday to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
For the second ODI in a row, inclement weather prevented any play, making Sri Lanka’s 41-run win in the series opener a decisive one. The washout gave the visitors their first bilateral ODI series in the Caribbean in 23 years, their previous win coming in 2003.
The match officials carried out several inspections throughout the evening, but after consulting with ground staff and curators, decided that it was almost impossible to play before the 8:02pm cut-off for the 20-over match.
Despite the disappointing result, the series marked a positive start for newly appointed head coach Gary Kirsten and ODI captain Gusal Mendis. Sri Lanka played a complete game with bat and ball in the opening match to secure the only result of the series.
“We are very happy to win the series. We played well in that one game in all three departments,” Mendis said. “There aren’t many matches before the World Cup next year, so I’m happy with my first series win as captain. I’ve also had great support from the coaches.”
For the West Indies, this result represents a significant setback. Unable to respond after the opening ODI defeat, the hosts suffered their first home ODI series defeat in three years.
More importantly, the result dents their hopes of securing the crucial ICC ranking points required for automatic qualification to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
West Indies, currently ranked tenth in the ODI rankings, are out of the top eight qualifiers and face a challenging series against New Zealand and India.
Both teams will now turn their attention to the three-match T20I series starting on June 11 in Kingston, with the remaining matches scheduled for June 13 and 14 at the same venue.