Watch cricket video highlights of West Indies tour of Sri Lanka 2024. Second one day international between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Venue of the match will be Pallekele.
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Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie had a record-breaking 119-run ninth-wicket stand before Motie and Alzarri Joseph hit one each in the powerplay. Aside from these streaks of domination, Sri Lanka easily won the game. Prior to the ninth-wicket struggle, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Asitha Fernando had reduced the West Indies to 58 for 8. Then, after losing two early wickets, Sri Lanka recovered with a 62-run partnership between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Nishan Madushka, before the in-form Charith Asalanka came in to produce a fluent half-century, propelling Sri Lanka to a significant victory and another series victory under his inexperienced leadership.
Though the surface for this 44-over match, which started two hours late due to precipitation, was extremely spin friendly (it being the same track used for Sunday’s game), 190 was always going to be difficult to defend. Whereas Sri Lanka’s spinners were constantly frightening, frequently obtaining substantial turn off quicker deliveries, the West Indies’ slow bowlers lacked the same effect. Motie was their finest slow bowler, surrendering only 18 runs in nine overs and capturing the wicket of Kusal Mendis. But legspinner Hayden Walsh was unimpressive, bowling far too short and getting picked off – he went for 41 runs in five overs.
Roston Chase was only somewhat effective. In fact, seamer Alzarri Joseph recorded the best innings numbers of 2 for 30. Although Hasaranga would go on to take more wickets, Theekshana was the greatest of Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers, and it was Theekshana who started the collapse in motion with a stunning offbreak that beat the outside of left-hander Alick Athanaze’s bat and clipped off stump. On this surface, the offbreak grew in size, and he used it to threaten both right-handers and left-handers, occasionally switching to the carrom ball. Theekshana’s lines were largely excellent.
Later, a massive offbreak would sneak between Keacy Carty’s bat and pad, rattling his stumps, before a slider beat Walsh’s frantic reverse-swipe off Theekshana in the fifteenth over. He took 3 for 25 from nine overs. Hasaranga’s googlies were doing their regular damage, and Chase was duped by one that flew brilliantly. Hasaranga had to work less hard to get the wickets of Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph, who did not want to choose him. He’d also take the final wicket of the innings, catching and bowling Jayden Seales, to finish with the game’s best figures of four for forty.
Fernando’s 3 for 35 was extremely outstanding on a course that didn’t suit him. He dismissed Brandon King with a surprise bouncer that King hit too early, then bowled Shai Hope with a little back of the length delivery that the batsman dragged onto his stumps. The fact that he broke the massive Rutherford-Motie partnership was also crucial, even if Rutherford’s wicket came from a low full toss. In reality, Rutherford was struggling when Motie joined him at the crease in the 16th over, providing the initial push for their partnership.
The No. 10 hit vital boundaries, particularly off Hasaranga, and at the conclusion of the 25th over had 35 runs to Rutherford’s 33, despite the fact that Rutherford had been there longer and faced more balls. Rutherford began to attack at this juncture, having previously appeared perplexed by every spinner Sri Lanka sent against him. Rutherford hit sixes down the ground and on the legside, including one hoick over deep square leg off Asalanka’s bowling, to reach his half-century off 57 balls. He continued to strike until he was caught on the deep square leg boundary in the 35th over, after hitting four sixes and seven fours.
His 80 off 82 was the game’s highest score. Later, when Samarawickrama and Madushka, both of whom scored 38, had put Sri Lanka out of imminent danger, Asalanka’s introduction into the game propelled them to a five-wicket win with 34 balls remaining. Asalanka’s early boundary-striking skill is the hallmark of a strong innings, and it was no exception here: seeing a full delivery outside off from the opposition’s finest seamer second ball, Asalanka creamed it past point for four.
In Joseph’s following over, Asalanka hammered him through square leg and cover for two more fours, after slog-sweeping Roston Chase for a boundary in between. In a second, he was on 20 off 14. Despite the slower speed, he reached his half-century off the 48th ball he faced and went on to lead Sri Lanka home, finishing unbeaten on 62 off 61 balls.
