Sri Lanka suffered a 3-wicket defeat against West Indies in their first game of the Super Six round of ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2024 played today (30th January) at Kimberley.
Sri Lanka Skipper Sineth Jayawardene won the toss and opted to bat first, but once again failed to get a good start as they lost 3 top order wickets inside first 10 overs.
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Sri Lanka continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, but Dinura Kaluphana, who was in great form with the bat, once again stood out to revive Sri Lanka’s innings, adding a crucial 51-run stand for the 7th wicket with Malsha Tharupathi.
Kalupahana notched up his 3rd half-century of the tournament, scoring 53 runs off 83 balls with 5 fours, while Tharupathi made a crucial knock of 42 runs to take Sri Lanka to a competitive total – 231 in the allotted 50 overs.
West Indies got off to a steady start in the run-chase as their opening pair Stephan Pascal and Steve Wedderburn put on a 48-run stand for the first wicket. Wedderburn and Jordan Johnson strengthened their grip on the game, building a match-defining partnership of 86 runs for the 3rd wicket.
Sri Lanka managed to fight back in the middle overs thanks to their spinners who picked up 4 wickets for 37 runs halting West Indies’ progress. However, No. 8 batter Nathan Sealy held his nerves playing a crucial knock – 27* off 28 coming down the order to put his side over the line in the last over of the match.
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Vishwa Lahiru, Sineth Jayawardena and Dinura Kalupahana excelled with the ball, claiming 2 wickets each for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka will take on South Africa in their second game of Super Six round on the 2nd February at Kimberley.
Brief Scores
Sri Lanka – 231 (50) Dinura Kalupahana 53, Malsha Tharupathi 42, Supun Waduge 31, Pulindu Perera 24, Vihas Thewmika 24, Raneico Smith 4/47, Nathan Edward 2/47
West Indies – 232/7 (49.3) Steve Wedderburn 61, Jordan Johnson 39, Stephan Pascal 33, Nathan Sealy 27*, Vishwa Lahiru 2/32, Sineth Jayawardena 2/39, Dinura Kalupahana 2/39
Result – West Indies won by 3 wickets
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