West Indies’ disappointing T20 World Cup campaign continued as they were thoroughly outclassed by a strong, young Sri Lankan team on Wednesday, as the two teams clashed in a Group 1 encounter in Abu Dhabi.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard won the toss and decided to field first, something that has worked extremely well for most teams in this edition of the T20 World Cup. However, it wasn’t to be for the Calypso Kings as they were defeated by a promising Sri Lankan side by 20 runs, despite having won the toss.
Sri Lanka’s batting looked good from the very outset. Openers Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka gave them a solid start, scoring 42 runs in the first five overs, before Perera was deceived by a slower ball from Andre Russell for a well-made 29.
Perera’s wicket brought in the promising talent of Charith Asalanka, who has been a shining light for Sri Lanka during the course of this tournament. Asalanka and Nissanka then took it upon themselves to get Sri Lanka to a big score, keeping in mind the struggles of the teams batting first throughout the tournament.
The duo kept the runs coming at a decent rate, scoring steadily throughout the middle overs, and sent the bad balls to the fence. Asalanka was more the aggressor, as his strike rate was consistently in the high 150s. The two batsmen dominated the middle overs, and brought up Sri Lanka’s hundredth run in just 11.4 overs.
The duo then looked to change gears, heading into the final few overs. They added a few quick runs before Nissanka holed out to deep mid-wicket, sending captain Dasun Shanaka to the crease. Shanaka and Asalanka then provided the finish that Sri Lanka needed, scoring 57 runs in the last five overs. Asalanka was dismissed for a fantastic 68 in the 19th over. Dasun Shanaka eventually ended up on 25 in just 14 deliveries as Sri Lanka closed on a formidable total of 189/3.
The West Indies chase couldn’t have gone off to a worse start, as they lost the great Christopher Henry Gayle and Evin Lewis in the space of the first two overs. Nicholas Pooran, who came in at number three, showed some promise but then also lost his partner Roston Chase after Bhanuka Rajapaksa took a screamer of a catch to get rid of the Windies batsman. The West Indies were in all sorts of trouble, at 52/3 after the powerplay.
Next, the dangerous Shimron Hetmeyer walked in, who also had an excellent season with the Delhi Capitals in the IPL a brief while ago. Hetmeyer started slowly, surviving a close LBW call, but then came into his own. For a short while, it looked as if Pooran and Hetmeyer could well take West Indies home, but that was not to be as Pooran was dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera, leaving the Windies reeling at 94/5.
The West Indies batting collapsed like ninepins after Pooran’s dismissal, as Pollard, Russel, Holder, and Bravo all departed for single-digit scores. Hetmeyer fought a lone battle at the other end, trying his best to pull his side out of the woods. However, the score of 189 proved too much at the end, given the horrible start the Windies had. Hetmeyer finished on a brilliant unbeaten 81 in just 54 deliveries as West Indies lost by 20 runs.
Brief Scores
Sri Lanka- 189/3 in 20 overs (Asalanka-68(41); Nissanka-51(41); Russell-2/33)
West Indies- 169/8 in 20 overs ( Hetmeyer-81*(54); Pooran-46(34); Hasaranga-2/19)
Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 20 runs
