Sri Lanka defeat West Indies by 20 runs in their last match of the World Cup. The defeat makes West Indies’ entry into the semi-finals impossible.
Sri Lanka end their Super 12 run with 4 points and remain 4th in the points table of Group 1, as of today.
Chasing 190 was not going to be an easy task and West Indies never really looked in a position to get to the total.
Openers Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis were both dismissed in the second over of the innings. Nicholas Pooran’s 46 and Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 81 were the only bright spots of the innings.
Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and the Sri Lankan spinners made life difficult for the batsmen by maintaining accuracy and some subtle variations.
In their combined 8 overs, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga only gave away 40 runs and picked up 2 wickets. Regular failures from Andre Russell, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard has been a problem for West Indies all throughout the tournament and this match was no different.
After being asked to bat first on a batting-friendly Abu Dhabi pitch, Sri Lanka went off to a good start. The 91-run 2nd-wicket partnership between Asalanka and Nissanka put Sri Lanka in the ideal position for a strong finish, which was then achieved by a cameo from their captain, Dasun Shanaka.
The West Indian bowlers did not look threatening at all and only capitulated to the pressure from the attacking intent of the opposing batsmen.
Sri Lanka thus end their campaign on a high. They may have only won 2 of their 5 Super 12 matches but the spirited young team has performed much better than many fans and critics would have expected, regardless of the result.
