COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – West Indies salvaged a tiny bit of pride from their otherwise failed tour of Sri Lanka when they beat the hosts by 23 runs in the second and final Twenty20 International here yesterday.
Defending 163 at the R Premadasa Stadium, West Indies dismissed the Sri Lankans for 139 off 20 overs, to finally end their winless run which was a hugely disappointing feature of the preceding Test and one-day series.
They were led by medium pacer Dwayne Bravo who snared four for 28 while seamer Ravi Rampaul picked up three for 20.
Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with 52 off 38 balls while Shehan Jayasuriya struck 30 off 32 deliveries, the pair posting 70 for the second wicket to lift Sri Lanka to 93 for one in the 13th over.
However, Bravo and Rampaul combined to run through the innings as the last nine wickets crashed for 46 runs to hand West Indies a vital win and a share of the two-match series.
Earlier, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin stroked an unbeaten 34 off 22 deliveries, Johnson Charles 34 off 25 balls and Bravo, a run-a-ball 31 but all three failed to covert as the Windies, opting to bat first, finished on 162 for six off their 20 overs.
Charles, who struck a four and three sixes, put on 62 for the first wicket with Andre Fletcher, who scored 23 off 21 balls, but the innings stuttered once they were dismissed.
The Caribbean side started quietly with 17 runs coming from the first four overs with a single boundary, but things came to life in the fifth over when Charles single-handedly took 22 runs from off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake’s first over.
He smashed three consecutive sixes – the first clearing long-on, the second sailing over square leg and the third hammered over midwicket – before collecting a four of the final delivery of the over.
Fletcher followed suit, thrice dispatching seamer Dushmantha Chameera to the boundary in the next over which also cost 22 runs.
However, Fletcher fell to the second ball of the next over from off-spinner Milinda Siriwardana, missing a tame on-side stroke and being adjudged lbw.
Two balls later, Marlon Samuels was run out for one off the first ball he faced, attempting a second run and Charles followed in the ninth over, lbw playing back to Siriwardana who finished with two for 17.
When Andre Russell was taken at fine leg by Dinesh Chandimal off Chameera for nine at 97 for four in the 12th over, West Indies were slumping badly.
Ramdin then breathed new life into the innings, stroking a four and two sixes in a 41-run stand with Bravo who struck just a six in his innings.
Following a quiet start, Ramdin exploded to blast two consecutive sixes off off-spinner Jayasuriya in the 14th over but Bravo, despite an earlier six off Chameera, could not find momentum and eventually holed out to cover off captain and speedster Lasith Malinga (2-16).
Malinga also snuffed out the threat from Kieron Pollard, bowling him for five as Sri Lanka ended strongly.
In their turn at the crease, the hosts lost Kusal Perera for 12 with the score on 23 in the third over, caught at mid-on by Bravo but Dilshan and Jayasuriya then stitched up the innings to put their side back on course for victory.
With Sri Lanka cruising at 93 for one, West Indies needed something special and got it in the form of Russell. Jayasuriya belted Bravo to long-off where Russell ran around to take a brilliant diving catch.
The wicket triggered a slide with two wickets falling in the next over from Rampaul. Chandimal holed out to deep backward square for one and Dilshan, after raising his half-century with the last of his five boundaries, was brilliantly caught off the last delivery by Jason Holder leaping at deep mid-wicket.
When Angelo Mathews (5) lifted Bravo to Carter at deep square leg in the 16th over, Sri Lanka were 117 for five and for the first time on the tour, West Indies keep the pressure on and delivered the previously elusive victory.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES
A Fletcher lbw b Siriwardana 23
J Charles lbw b Siriwardana 34
M Samuels run out 1
DJ Bravo c Mathews b Malinga 31
A Russell c Chandimal b Chameera 9
+D Ramdin not out 34
K Pollard b Malinga 5
*D Sammy not out 12
Extras (lb6, w7) 13
TOTAL (6 wkts, 20 overs) 162
Did not bat: S Narine, J Taylor, R Rampaul.
Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Fletcher, 6.2 overs), 2-65 (Samuels, 6.4), 3-75 (Charles, 9), 4-97 (Russell, 11.4), 5-138 (Bravo, 16.5), 6-147 (Pollard, 18.2)
Bowling: Malinga 4-0-16-2 (w1), Kulasekara 4-0-22-0 (w1), Senanayake 3-0-38-0, Chameera 3-0-36-1 (w2), Siriwardana 3-0-17-2 (w2), Jayasuriya 3-0-27-0.
SRI LANKA
+K Perera c Bravo b Taylor 12
T Dilshan c sub (J Holder) b Rampaul 52
S Jayasuriya c Russell b Bravo 30
D Chandimal c sub (J Carter) b Rampaul 1
A Mathews c sub (J Carter) b Bravo 5
M Siriwardana st Ramdin b Narine 15
C Kapugedera c Charles b Pollard 2
S Senanayake c Pollard b Bravo 3
N Kulasekara c Narine b Bravo 4
*L Malinga b Rampaul 2
D Chameera not out 3
Extras (b1, lb4, w3, nb2) 10
TOTAL (all out, 20 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Perera, 2.5 overs), 2-93 (Jayasuriya, 12.5), 3-94 (Chandimal, 13.1), 4-102 (Dilshan, 14), 5-117 (Mathews, 15.4), 6-126 (Kapugedera, 16.4), 7-129 (Siriwardana, 17.2), 8-133 (Senanayake, 18.2), 9-135 (Kulasekara, 18.5) 10-139 (Malinga, 20)
Bowling: Narine 4-0-24-1 (w1), Rampaul 4-0-20-3, Taylor 2-0-22-1 (w1), Pollard 4-0-23-1 (w1), Sammy 2-0-17-0, DJ Bravo 4-0-28-4 (nb1).
Result: West Indies won by 23 runs.
Series: Two-match series tied 1-1.
Man-of-the-Match: Dwayne Bravo.
Man-of-the-Series: Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Umpires: R Martinesz, R Wimalasiri; TV – R Palliyaguruge.
