The match was called off after lengthy spells of rain at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Sri Lanka's capital. It was the fourth washout fixture at the venue and the second involving New Zealand in the tournament so far. Their last match against South Africa was also abandoned due to rain earlier this week.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With this, New Zealand have a very slim chance of securing a berth in the final four of the showpiece spectacle, and the disappointment was visible in Sophie's words.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI hope you were watching that South Africa game the other night, where they were off for five hours and still managed to squeak in a win,\u201d said Devine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo, yeah, look, you must feel you were in a decent position today, you just needed the rain to hold off, and unfortunately, it didn\u2019t happen for you,\u201d she said in the post-match presentation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s extremely frustrating. You wait four years for a World Cup, and to have rain play such a massive part in it, it is disappointing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Devine urged the organisers to consider scheduling adjustments for upcoming matches at the venue to avoid similar disruptions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think, hopefully, in future editions, they might consider starting games earlier in the day. We\u2019ve obviously seen here that the rain usually comes in the afternoon, so there\u2019s a real opportunity to play these matches at 10 or 11 a.m. and actually get a game in. Because that\u2019s what all the teams want - to play cricket.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve waited so long to be here, you want to test yourself against the best, and to be scuppered by rain is a real shame for me. It\u2019s pretty flat. We really wanted to play today. We were up and about for this match, and we just wanted to be out there playing cricket,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With the washout, New Zealand now face a must-win scenario in their final two matches - against India and England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut now, the situation is extremely clear; we just need to win both games, starting with India in Mumbai. It\u2019s a big challenge, but we\u2019re really excited about it. I know the girls don\u2019t need any extra motivation to take them on.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll head back to India tomorrow and look forward to those challenges. We were so focused on these games here in Colombo that we wanted to give them our full focus. But luckily, we\u2019ve got a few days now before the next game against India, so we\u2019ll prepare really well,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut now, the situation is extremely clear; we just need to win both games, starting with India in Mumbai. It\u2019s a big challenge, but we\u2019re really excited about it. I know the girls don\u2019t need any extra motivation to take them on.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut again, this is what you want - to play against the best teams in their own backyard and put yourself under pressure. We\u2019re really looking forward to that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n