PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Sri Lanka were fighting off some menacing pace bowling from West Indies when rain washed out the remaining day’s play in their Celkon Mobile Cup ODI game at Queens Park Oval yesterday.
Rains, which started just around 11am, continued into the afternoon and forced the abandonment of the game, with Sri Lanka on 60 for three from 19 overs. The match continues from the stated position today, the reserve day.
After being sent in, Sri Lanka were quickly on the defensive, on 29 for three in the seventh over, as West Indies new ball bowlers Kemar Roach and new find Jason Holder, playing his third ODI, rattled the top order on a pitch that was offering assistance .
Roach, with a good length and pacy deliveries, sent back Mahela Jayawardene (7) and Dinesh Chandimal (7) cheaply after Holder had made the initial break-through, forcing the in-form Upul Tharanga into an aerial drive to Darren Bravo at cover.
Tharanga was out for seven, on the last ball of the fourth over with the score on 19, before Roach removed Jayawardene next ball. The dependable opener was bewildered by a sharp bouncer that peeled off his bat, and onto his helmet, and ballooned for Devon Smith to complete an easy catch.
That was 19 for two wickets and, 10 runs later, Roach produced another remarkable delivery that banged the top of off-stump to dismiss Chandimal for two.
When the rains came, wicketkeeper Sangakara , 11 not out, and Lahiru Thirimanne , 13 not out, were leading a small recovery and fighting off the West Indies attack with an unfinished fourth-wicket stand of 31 off 12 overs.
Earlier , West Indies made three changes to the team that was defeated by India on Friday as regular captain Dwayne Bravo, spinner Sunil Narine and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin were all omitted.
Keiron Pollard was named captain for the second time in the series after Bravo was suspended for one match, after being fined a second time within 12 months for maintaining a slow over-rate, while Holder was brought in for an injured Narine.
Ramdin was dropped after a run of poor form and Lendl Simmons included. Sri Lanka has also made some changes to their eleven, including fast bowler, Shaminda Eranga for Rangana Herath and bringing in Jeevan Mendis for Kusal Perera.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka innings :
WU Tharanga c Bravo b Holder 7
DPMD Jayawardene c Smith b Roach 7
KC Sangakkara † not out 11 (33b)
LD Chandimal b Roach 2
HDRL Thirimanne not out 13 (49b)
Extras: (lb 2, w 16, nb 2) 20
Total: (3 wkts off 19 overs) 60
To bat: AD Mathews*, BMAJ Mendis, KMDN Kulasekara, SMSM Senanayake, SL Malinga, RMS Eranga.
Fall of wkts: 1-19 (Tharanga, 3.6 ov), 2-19 (Jayawardene, 4.1 ov), 3-29 (Chandimal, 6.2 ov)
Bowling: K. Roach 7 2 19 2 ( 1w); J. Holder 5 0 20 1 (2nb, 3w); I. D. Sammy 4 2 4 0 (1w); T. Best 3 0 15 0 (3w)
Umpires: Nigel Llong (England) and Joel Wilson (WI)
TV umpire: Peter Nero (WI)
Match referee – Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)
