Another washout at Colombo

For the second time in three days, England's chances of levelling the one-day series were dashed after the final match at the Premadasa Stadium was again washed out without a ball being bowled. Thus Sri Lanka won the series 1-0 after their convincing win at Dambulla.

Play was set to begin on time, but ten minutes before the toss the rain returned, and then progressed into a treacherous thunderstorm which festooned the outfield in puddles. After the storm eventually finished, the umpires waded out to inspect the damage, and they had no choice other than to abandon the match at 5.15 local time.

Michael Vaughan was understandably disappointed not to get the chance to play, but he was also sympathetic to England's supporters: "I just feel sorry for the fans, they've come here to watch us play and now they won't even get a refund."

He added: "We were keen to play on Friday, but it's a similar story today. The conditions were just not up to standard. Perhaps playing over here at this time of the year is something that should be looked at."

Duncan Fletcher, England's coach, also vented his frustration: "This would have been a good experience for our young side, to play on these sorts of wickets and improve their techniques, but instead we had to sit and watch the rain."

All eyes now turn to the three-Test series which starts on December 2 at Galle, but both teams won't have learnt much about each other after such a drab and damp ODI series.