Rain has last say

Rain forced the cancellation of New Zealand and Sri Lanka's one-day match in Dambulla on Friday.

The match was originally scheduled for Thursday but persistent rain saw organisers put the fixture back 24 hours.

Sri Lanka were 203-3 during the 44th over before the rain came.

Eventually the game started on Friday with New Zealand captain Ross Taylor winning the toss and sending the Sri Lankans into bat first.

Taylor must have been regretting his decision as the hosts raced to 56 from the first nine overs.

Paceman Daryl Tuffey was able to remove Upul Tharanga for a patient 12 when Kyle Mills caught the opening batsman but it was only a fleeting moment of success for the visitors.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (44) and Kumar Sangakkarra (40) kept the run-rate ticking over during the middle overs as the Kiwi bowlers struggled.

Scott Styris (2-36 from 10) was the only bowler to have any success and he removed Dilshan and Sangakkara to give the Kiwis a sniff.

But Mahela Jayawardene (59 not out) and Chamara Silva (41 not out) attacked with impressive results and were set for a big final six overs before the rain halted play.

Rain continued to fall at a steady rate before umpires Asad Rauf and Tyron Wijewardene called the game off.

Both sides received two points as a result of the abandonment, leaving New Zealand a point clear of Sri Lanka.