Evin Lewis’ blistering century and Sherfane Rutherford’s third consecutive fifty helped the West Indies secure their first ODI win in Sri Lanka after 19 years, concluding the tour with a victory in the third and final game in Pallekele. Sri Lanka clinched the series 2-1.
Kusal Mendis’ record-breaking half-century and Pathum Nissanka’s fine knock set the West Indies a revised target of 196 after Sri Lanka batted first in a rain-shortened innings.
In a tough chase, Brandon King and Evin Lewis struggled to get going, managing to add only 36 runs in 5.4 overs, with Lewis caught at deep mid-wicket off Asitha Fernando.
However, they eventually snatched 15 runs off Wanindu Hasaranga’s first over, and Lewis struck a few boundaries to keep the West Indies on the DLS par score. The opener reached his fifty in just 34 deliveries. Lewis and Hope shared a 72-run stand before Dilshan Madushanka broke the partnership by dismissing the West Indies captain.
The Lankan bowlers kept things tight for a few overs. When the visitors needed 70 runs off the last six overs, Lewis and Rutherford scored 14 and 18 runs in consecutive overs bowled by Asalanka and Theekshana, bringing the equation closer for the West Indies.
Rutherford claimed his third consecutive fifty of the series in just 26 balls before Lewis hit the winning runs with a six, also bringing up his century in 61 balls. The two southpaws put together an incredible unbeaten 88-run partnership off only 45 balls, racing the West Indies past the target with one over remaining.
Earlier today, West Indies elected to bowl first after winning the toss. They made three changes, handing an ODI debut to 17-year-old keeper batter Jewel Andrew and including Evin Lewis and Matthew Forde. As a result, Alick Athanaze, Romario Shepherd, and Hayden Walsh were left out.
For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka, who missed the first two games due to a quadriceps strain, is back in the side, while Nishan Madushka has unfortunately been dropped despite impressing with the bat. Left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka, who last featured in the ODI side in March this year, also returns, replacing Dunith Wellalage.
Pathum Nissanka opened the innings with Avishka Fernando and batted solidly in the first 10 overs, adding 47 runs while the visitors missed a few chances in slip and square leg. They extended their partnership to 81 runs in 17.1 overs before Fernando chipped one back to the bowler, Roston Chase, after contributing 34.
With the first wicket fallen, the umpires were called for drinks. However, only one ball was bowled before rain stopped play around 3:44 PM.
After a long delay, play resumed at 9:50 PM, with overs reduced to 23 per side.
Kusal Mendis started strongly, smashing four fours off Chase before hitting Motie for another two fours, surpassing 4,000 runs in ODI cricket. Soon after, Nissanka reached his half-century off 58 balls. The two right-handers shared a rapid 57-run stand in just 26 balls, putting Sri Lanka in a strong position before the opener was run out.
Mendis blasted the second-fastest ODI fifty for Sri Lanka in 19 balls, tying for the fourth-fastest in the world. After the resumption, Sri Lanka scored 75 runs in just 34 balls and ended up with 156 for 3.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | run out (Alzarri Joseph) | 56 | 62 | 8 | 1 | 90.32 |
| Avishka Fernando | c & b Roston Chase | 34 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 68.00 |
| Kusal Mendis | not out | 56 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 254.55 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Keacy Carty b Sherfane Rutherford | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 4 (b 0 , lb 3 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 156/3 (23 Overs, RR: 6.78) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Forde | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2.40 | |
| Alzarri Joseph | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 8.20 | |
| Jayden Seales | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 8.00 | |
| Gudakesh Motie | 5 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 4.20 | |
| Roston Chase | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 10.00 | |
| Sherfane Rutherford | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 13.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon King | c Kusal Mendis b Asitha Fernando | 16 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 84.21 |
| Evin Lewis | not out | 102 | 62 | 9 | 4 | 164.52 |
| Shai Hope | c Avishka Fernando b Dilshan Madushanka | 22 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 81.48 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | not out | 50 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 192.31 |
| Extras | 6 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 1, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 196/2 (22 Overs, RR: 8.91) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maheesh Theekshana | 5 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 7.80 | |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 5 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 10.00 | |
| Asitha Fernando | 5 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 7.80 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 12.00 | |
| Janith Liyanage | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Kamindu Mendis | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7.00 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9.50 | |
Playing XI
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (WK), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (C), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka
West Indies: Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (C/WK), Sherfane Rutherford, Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales
