Sri Lanka split points for second successive time after match washed out

Bristol (PTI): Sri Lanka were forced to split points for the second successive time in the ongoing World Cup after their match against Bangladesh was called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain here on Tuesday.

Both the teams came into the match with one win from three matches and now each will get a point for the washout. Sri Lanka now have four points from as many games, while Bangladesh have three points from four games. After two defeats, Bangladesh were looking for resurgence against Sri Lanka and now they will be wary of their semifinal chances.

"For all the teams, coming to the ground and not playing is disappointing and frustrating," said Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. "This is how the tournament is going, we got our chances against New Zealand, we couldn't get going in the England match, but it was frustrating today."

The result will leave Sri Lanka frustrated too as it is the second instant of a wash-out for the Island nation. "The last few games have been washed out, so these kind of tournaments aren't easy. It is a bad time for us," Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said.

"It isn't easy, we have to switch on and off all the time. These kind of things can happen but we have to get used to it. We can keep practicing and train harder for the Australia game. Definitely in every match we need to play for a win," he added.

This is the third match to be abandoned in the ongoing World Cup, the most in the history of the tournament, exceeding the two games at the 1992 edition in Australia and New Zealand and the 2003 event which was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The 10-team showpiece event doesn't have any reserve days. Asked if there should be reserve days, Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes said: "Yes, I would (have them). I know logistically it would have caused problems. But we can put a man on the moon, so if we have to travel a day later, so be it."

On Tuesday, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were left staring at the sky, waiting for some divine intervention after the start of their key match was delayed due to heavy rains.

The inspection was postponed twice even as groundsmen tirelessly worked on draining out the water on the covers with the sucking brooms and mops. At 13:57 local time, the umpires finally decided to officially abandon the match.

While for Bangladesh, it is there first World Cup match to be washed out, Sri Lanka were forced to split points with Pakistan in their last game after the match was called off due to rains.

On Monday, a struggling South Africa had to share points with the West Indies after their World Cup match was washed out due to persistent rain at Southampton.

Sri Lanka will next take on defending champions Australia at London on June 15, while Bangladesh will face West Indies on June 17 at Taunton.