Only 13 overs were possible in the final one-day international between Zimbabwe and Ireland as rain had the final say in Harare.

Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine, back in the side after missing Saturday’s game because of a hand injury, surprisingly chose to bat despite the forecast of rain but in the end it didn’t matter as although the rain stopped just before 2.30pm, there was no chance of the groundstaff having the pitch playable before the cut-off time to allow the minimum 20-over match.

The hosts had reached 55 for one in the 60 minutes play with Mark Adair making the breakthrough in his first over, the game’s seventh after Graham Hume was given the new ball, along with Josh Little.

Chamunorwa Chibhabha, promoted to open was the batsman out for 16 but hard-hitting opener Innocent Kaia and Ervine suffered no further alarms.

Josh Little bowled three overs for 13, Hume five overs for 20, Adair four overs for 15 and Curtis Campher, playing his 50th Ireland game, had just started his second over, with a wide, when the umpires took the players off.

Ireland’s win in the second match by 46 runs cancelled out Zimbabwe’s victory in the opening game of the series by three wickets, while Zimbabwe won the T20 series 2-1.

Andy McBrine missed today’s match, ending a run of 51 consecutive ODIs, because of injury. He was hit on his spinning finger in Saturday’s second game – and had to leave the field – and was unavailable today. Gareth Delany took his place in the only change to the Ireland team.

Before the game George Dockrell made a 350th cap presentation to stand-in captain Paul Stirling. Only Kevin O'Brien has won more than the 32-year-old who made his debut in 2008.
Most of the squad head home tomorrow but  Stirling, Josh Little, Lorcan Tucker, Andrew Balbirnie and Curtis Campher fly off to different parts of the world to resume their franchise commitments.

Ireland’s next action is the tour to Bangladesh in March which will include three ODIs, three T20s and, finally, after a four-year wait, their next Test match.

Those dates were confirmed today with the ODIs starting the tour on March 18 in Sylhet and the Test match taking place in Dhaka from April 4-8.

Meanwhile, Ireland Women lost their final match at the Under-19 World Cup to Pakistan by seven wickets after scoring 113 for seven.

Only two players reached double figures, Annabel Squires, who finished 55 not out, and Eglinton’s Zara Craig who dominated a fifth wicket stand, to score 17.

Craig then broke the opening Pakistan partnership at 44 but although Fraya Sargent took a wicket next ball, Pakistan eased home with 15 balls to spare.