The third and the final T20I at Trivandrum between India and New Zealand which was scheduled to start at 7 pm in the evening on Tuesday was delayed by almost three hours due to rainstorm has damaged the outfield.

Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has publicly apologized for not playing the national anthem before the T20I between India and New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram on November 7. One of the association’s top officials acknowledged in a statement that it was a serious failure on their part.

As reported by the Asian Age, Kerala Cricket Association secretary Jayesh George quoted “Yes, that was a mistake on our part. We were all there on the ground and in a hurry to start the match after rains. We forgot to play the national anthem.It’s a serious lapse on our part and I apologize (to the nation). It will never happen again”.

The match was a series decider as both the teams had won one game each leading up to the final game at Trivandrum. It was also India’s 50th venue to stage a cricket match in the history of Indian Cricket.

Constant rain forced the officials to shorten the game to 8 overs per side. India lost the toss and batted first. Once again, the opening pair failed to perform and after losing 5 wickets, team India could manage to put 67 runs on the board.

While chasing the target of 68 runs, the Kiwi batsmen struggled a lot in front of quality Indian bowling attack. They lost 6 wickets and fell short by 6 runs to take the game home. India won the series 2-1.