England wins T20 series after third match in New Zealand washed out

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — England won its three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand 1-0 on Thursday after the third match at Eden Park was washed out after only 3.4 overs.

The first match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch also was rained out and England won the second game at the same venue on Monday by 65 runs.

Rain forced players from the field on Thursday for the first time after just three balls had been bowled.

When play resumed after 80 minutes the match had been reduced to 14 overs per side.

New Zealand faced another 3.1 overs before rain returned and the players left the field again with the host team on 38-1.

A final effort was made to restart the match at 10pm local time with eight overs per side. But just as the players were about to take the field, a final heavy shower ended the match.

Questions will now be asked about the decision to play a T20 series against Australia and England in October, during New Zealand's Spring. Of the six scheduled matches, only two were completed.

New Zealand and England will meet in the first of three one-day internationals at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket