GALLE, June 29: Monsoon showers forced abandonment of the fourth consecutive match of the three-nation Independence Cup cricket tournament as the India-New Zealand one-dayer was called off here today with the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) criticising India's rejection of a plan to replay the rain-hit ties as `not in keeping with the spirit of the game'.After all the three matches at this picturesque town washed out without a ball being bowled, the scene now shifts to the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo, where the condition is no better, for the third leg of the tournament with India facing the hosts on July one.
With points being split between India and New Zealand, the former's tally today rose to five, while the home side have earned four and the Kiwis have three after all the teams have played four matches each.
The woes of the Lankan Board, reportedly incurring a loss of Rs 33 lakh for each of the washed out matches, have been compounded by India's rejection of itsproposal to play additional matches in Colombo to compensate for the misery inflicted on the cricket fans by the rain Gods.
Today's match was the fourth to be abandoned in a row. India's encounter with the Kiwis in Colombo on June 23 was called of midway through the second innings following a sudden burst of rain. Later all the matches of the second leg were washed out.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
