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Andre Fletcher fights a lone battle for West Indies before its chase falls 30 runs short
A combined effort from Sri Lanka's batsmen and spinners helped it win a high-scoring first Twenty20 International by 30 runs against West Indies in Pallekele on Monday (November 9).
All of Sri Lanka's top five batsmen made scores in excess of 35, all of them at a rapid pace, to help the home side post a huge 215 for 3 in its 20 overs. West Indies fought hard for a while but succumbed to scoreboard pressure and was ultimately bowled out for 185 in 19.5 overs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with a 37-ball 56 while Kusal Perera (40 from 36), Shehan Jayasuriya (36 from 22), Dinesh Chandimal (40 off 19) and Angelo Mathews (37 from 13) made vital contributions too.
West Indies' chase was driven by an entertaining 25-ball 57 by Andre Fletcher and there were a few other cameos, but Sri Lanka's spinners, led by Sachithra Senanayake with 4 for 46, had the last laugh.
After being asked to bat, Sri Lanka was off to a blazing start as Kusal and Dilshan toyed with the bowling. Both hit two fours apiece in the first two overs to set the tone for the rest of the innings. Kusal had a reprieve when Darren Sammy missed a run out chance when the batsman was on nine, and the left-hand batsman made the most of the chance.
Soon, the ball started to disappear to all parts of the ground with astonishing frequency and by the end of the Power Play, the home side was coasting at 65 without loss. But the end of the fielding restrictions brought no respite for West Indies. The run feast continued and the pair added 91 in less than ten overs before Kieron Pollard removed both in the span of two overs. He first foxed Kusal with a slower ball to have him caught at cover in the tenth over before getting through Dilshan's attempted switch-hit.
Sri Lanka, however, did not lose momentum. Jayasuriya continued the good work before Chandimal and Mathews applied the finishing touches in style with quick, unbeaten knocks. Sri Lanka added a massive 84 runs in the last five overs to end with the highest total at the venue.
While Pollard picked two wickets, Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 20 runs from his four overs. Dwayne Bravo was the most expensive, going for 53 runs from his quota.
West Indies lost Johnson Charles, who was bowled by a Lasith Malinga yorker, in the second ball of the chase but Fletcher gave it a good start, hitting sixes and fours at will. Marlon Samuels fell within the Power Play and Andre Russell perished after an eight-ball 16, but Fletcher went past his fourth T20I half-century.
West Indies was in a decent position at 86 for 3 in eight overs but once Dushmantha Chameera got past Fletcher's attempted cut shot and had him bowled in the ninth over, things got increasingly difficult for the visitor. Pollard and Bravo shone briefly with a 51-run stand from 27 balls, but once they fell to the spin combination of Senanayake and Milinda Siriwardana, West Indies' chase ran out of steam. Senanayake then accounted for Sammy and Jason Holder off successive balls in the 15th over to kill the chase.
The second and final T20I will be played on Wednesday in Colombo.
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