Pallekele, West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 25 runs here on Wednesday to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. Tasked with chasing a target of 197, Sri Lanka folded for 171 with fast bowler Oshane Thomas taking five wickets and thus being declared player of the match.
Sri Lanka lost five wickets in what was a disastrous first five overs of the chase. Three of these fell in the second over that was bowler by Thomas. Dismissing opener Avishka Fernando and Shehan Jayasuriya off the third and fourth ball, he missed out on a hat-trick but took the third off the last ball of the over in the form of Kusal Mendis.
An 87-run stand followed between Kusal Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga for the sixth wicket. Kusal was especially destructive, smashing 66 off 38 balls in an innings that included six fours and three sixes. However, Rovman Powell got West Indies the breakthrough in the 16th over after which the visitors pounced upon the Sri Lankan tail.
Earlier, West Indies opener Lendl Simmons remained unbeaten on 67 off 51 balls as the visitors ended their innings on 196/4. Andre Russell played a typically belligerent innings, smashing 35 off 14 balls in an innings that included two fours and four sixes while captain Kieron Pollard, playing a record 20th T20 game, scored an equally destructive 34 off 15 balls.
Brief scores: West Indies 196/4 in 20 overs (Lendl Simmons 67, Andre Russell 35; Wanindu Hasaranga 1/33) vs Sri Lanka 171 in 19.1 overs (Kusal Perera 66, Wanindu Hasaranga 44; Oshane Thomas 5/28)
