Sri Lanka and New Zealand got down to action to play the final ODI match on Tuesday. The home team has already won the series and the game on Tuesday was a mere formality. It was New Zealand who won the toss and chose to bat first as they made two changes to their side. Zakary Foulkes and Adam Milne came in for Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy.
The best moment from the early part of the match came courtesy of Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka who took an amazing catch. The incident occurred on the second ball of the 4th over with the score reading 24. Tim Robinson tried to hit over the top but didn’t time the ball well. Charith Asalanka timed his jump well and stuck out both his hands to take the catch to dismiss Robinson for 9.
Perfectly timed leap by Asalanka 👌
— FanCode (@FanCode) November 19, 2024
The Sri Lanka skipper takes a brilliant catch to send Robinson back to the pavilion.#SLvNZonFanCode pic.twitter.com/3zeL9mfvZN
After 21 overs, New Zealand were placed at 112/1 before the rains came down. This is the third time during the ODI series that a downpour has halted play. Will Young was batting on 56 while Henry Nicholls was on 46. Sri Lanka made five changes to their side as Chamindu Wickramasinghe made his ODI debut. Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka were also rested for the game.
Sri Lanka name squad for South Africa tour
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan selectors have announced their Test team for the tour of South Africa in a few weeks. The Lankans last played Test cricket against New Zealand which they went on to win 2-0.
Dhananjaya De Silva will be leading the side with some of the senior members making a return. Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, and Angelo Mathews make their return to the team. The spin department will be led by Prabath Jayasuriya along with Nishan Peiris as Lasith Embuldenya makes his return to the side.
The pace bowling department witnesses the return of Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, and Milan Rathnayake. During the tour of England, Milan Rathnayake did well with the bat and ball to make an instant impact. Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Kamindu Mendis will be the main batters to watch out for.
Sri Lankan squad for South Africa series
Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lasith Embuldeniya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha