Sri Lanka Demolish West Indies to Level T20 Series

  Dunith Wellalage is congratulated by his team-mate Charith Asalanka

By M. Shamil Amit, reporting from Dambulla

Sri Lanka, led by young spinner Dunith Wellalage making his T20 debut, alongside the spin trio of skipper Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana, crushed the West Indies by 73 runs in the second match of the three-match T20I series. Played under the floodlights at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday, the win allowed Sri Lanka to level the series at 1-1.

Chasing a target of 163, the West Indies found themselves in deep trouble early on. Before the halfway mark of their innings, they were struggling at 39 for 6 and eventually folded for a mere 89 runs.

It was debutant Wellalage who inflicted the early damage, taking three of the first four wickets and leaving the Windies reeling at 24 for 4 by the seventh over. Skipper Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga then added to the West Indies' misery, claiming four wickets between them and further dismantling the fragile batting lineup. In the later stages, West Indies skipper Rovman Powell (20) and Alzarri Joseph (16) managed to delay Sri Lanka’s inevitable victory, but Maheesh Theekshana finished off the innings, taking two wickets to close the contest.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka opted to bat. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis gave the team a solid start, with the side reaching 50 runs in just 36 balls during the powerplay. Their partnership was eventually broken when Mendis, who scored 26, was dismissed after a 77-run stand off 60 balls. Kusal Perera then joined Nissanka and continued to put pressure on the West Indies bowlers, helping Sri Lanka reach 100 runs. However, their partnership of 34 runs for the third wicket was short-lived, as Perera was dismissed by Shamar Springer for 24. Nissanka reached his half-century in 47 balls, hitting eight boundaries and a six. He was later dismissed for 54, having faced 49 deliveries. Sri Lanka struggled to build significant partnerships after that, losing wickets at regular intervals, and eventually finishing their innings at 162 for 5.

The third and deciding match of the series will be played tomorrow.

Pix by kushan Pathiraja