Fifth day drowned as series ends in rainy stalemate

The stadium at Pallekele could have scarcely had a worse debut. After five hours of incessant rain on the final day, play was finally called off without a ball being bowled - the second completely washed-out day during the match. On the three days that play was possible, only 103 overs were bowled, in which West Indies made 303/8 after having been put in to bat by Kumar Sangakkara.

The entire series, which ends in a nil-all stalemate after rain in all three Tests, has been an incredibly disappointing one for fans, players and broadcasters alike. The tour hasn't had a full day's play since the first day of the first Test in Galle, but there have been several individual performances shining out through this depressing excuse for a Test series. Chris Gayle's fantastic triple-ton helped West Indies dominate the first Test, while Kumar Sangakkara's 150 in Colombo gave Sri Lanka control in the second. Darren Bravo announced himself with three mature half-centuries, which were not only impressive given their context, but aesthetically pleasing as well and Ajantha Mendis showed signs of a return to form through a succession of testing spells.

The teams can't claim to have gained much from the series and will hope that the late monsoon rains will abate in time for the one-dayers, the first of which is on Thursday.