Unrelenting rain washes out third day

It was all one-way traffic at Pallekele Stadium as rain dominated proceedings on day three. An intense period of sustained drizzle, highlighted by two spectacular, heavy downpours meant that most of the players didn't even arrive at the ground and the media twiddled their thumbs for much of the day.

The inclement weather struck early, taking out any chance of a prompt start with a light shower that petered out into an extended period of drizzle at around 9 am. Hope of play in the first session was the next to go, falling prey to an expertly crafted ploy by the clouds over Pallekele, that tempted fans with a glimpse of blue sky before storming back with a devastating deluge at around 10:30 am. The rain wasn't about to relent either, ensuring the covers remained firmly on with steady drizzle, before coming hard again at around 1pm to all but wash out the cricket on day three.

Match referee Alan Hurst was forced to call off play just before 3pm but expect bad weather, which has been utterly ascendant during the tour so far, to put in another strong performance on Saturday.