NZ summer takes rain check
Rain ended the third one-day international between New Zealand and India two overs short of a completed match on Wednesday, leaving New Zealand with a 1-0 win in three-match series.
India were bowled out for 219 in 47.3 overs after being sent in and New Zealand were 104-1 after 18 overs, 50 runs ahead under the DuckworthLewis system, when steady rain began to fall at Hagley Oval.
A total of 20 overs had to be bowled in the New Zealand innings for the match to be considered completed and a result declared.
It was a frustrating finish to a frustrating tour in which the teams met in three Twenty20 and three oneday internationals. The first Twenty20 match was washed out and India took the series 1-0 after a win in the second match and a tie in the third which was rain-affected.
New Zealand won the first one-day international by seven wickets but the second match was also washed out.
“We’ve been playing cricket, it’s been going reasonably well and the team has applied itself nicely,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. “The first game was a good one and obviously became seriesdefining but, even in the rained-off matches, there was some good stuff as well.
“It was really odd to have so much rain throughout this period.”
There was light rain around in the morning and the toss was delayed for 15 minutes while the covers were removed. When they were lifted they revealed a lush and bright green pitch so when Williamson won the toss he was happy to announce New Zealand would bowl.
The ball swung a little for Tim Southee and stuck at times in the pitch while the outfield was damp and balls hit in the air tended to plug.
Shikhar Dhawan coped well at first but Shubman Gill (13) struggled and managed only one run from his first 14 balls. He was just beginning to pick up the pace when he turned a ball from Adam Milne to Mitchell Santner at square leg.
Dhawan was reasonably fluid at first but became bogged down. He had scored 28 from 45 balls when, frustrated, he came down the pitch at Milne, drove and was bowled off an inside edge.
Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant guided India to 88-2 at the end of the 20th over but Pant was out immediately afterwards, caught at deep square leg by Glenn Phillips from Daryl Mitchell who was bowling for the first time in the series.
Suryakumar Yadav was Man of the Series in the Twenty20 series between the teams for his brilliant unbeaten 111 in the second match. But he has struggled in the one-dayers and was out for 6, caught at slip by Southee off Milne.
Iyer looked on course for a half century but fell one run short, brilliant caught by Devon Conway at deep point off Lockie Ferguson. Conway sprinted in off the boundary to take the catch low down and on the run.
Deepak Hooda fell for 12 to a cruel catch down the leg side. He attempted to pull a short ball from Southee and was caught off a faint edge by wicketkeeper Tom Latham.
Deepak Chahar hit Mitchell for six but was out next ball, pulling a short cross-seam delivery which held up and flew from the toe end to Southee at mid-wicket.
Even in the rainedoff matches, there was some good stuff.
Kane Williamson
India was 170-7 before Washington Sundar rallied the tail with a half century from 62 balls.
By the time New Zealand began their innings a bitterly cold wind was blowing across Hagley Oval. The India slip fielders early in the innings were wearing so many layers of clothing they barely could move from a crouch. India’s enthusiasm for the match seemed to wane as the temperature dropped.
New Zealand made slow progress to 15 after five overs and 59 after 10. Finn Allen made 57 from 54 balls and Conway was 38 not out. Williamson had yet to score when the rain came.