(ESPN Cricinfo) – Brandon King and Evin Lewis crashed 107 off 55 balls at the top of the order to set the West Indies beautifully on course to their target of 180 in the first T20I against Sri Lanka.
Although the hosts’ middle-overs bowlers slowed the West Indies’ progress, they were never in serious trouble. They had plenty of batting to see the chase through, and Sherfane Rutherford finished it off with a four off the first ball of the final over.
congratulated by teammates after securing the first breakthrough of the Sri Lanka innings with the wicket of Pathum Nissanka (ESPN Cricinfo Photo).
Shamar Joseph was the most economical of the West Indies’ bowlers, conceding only 27 from his four overs. Though King and Lewis later outshone them, Sri Lanka had two half-centurions too, in Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka, whose 82-run stand was the most substantial of the innings.
King, Lewis blast the powerplay
Lewis struck the first boundaries, launching Chamindu Wickramasinghe for a six and four at the end of the first over, but it was King who made the greatest impression while the fielding restrictions were in play. King’s standard move was to run at the bowlers and blast them down the ground. So good was his hand-eye coordination that he did it twice
scored with 63 (ESPN Cricinfo Photo).
against seamer Asitha Fernando in the second over before taking aim at the spin of Maheesh Theekshana in the third over.
By the end of the powerplay, King had eight fours (some of them edged, to be fair) and 39 runs off 20 balls. Lewis, who had blasted boundaries off Wickramasinghe almost exclusively, had 31 off 16 balls. And the West Indies had 74 off the first six.
They kept swinging, and by the end, Lewis made 50 off 28, and King 63 off 33. The requirement was fairly simple after their onslaught.
WI quicks\ strike early
By contrast, Sri Lanka’s top order had failed to prosper on a helpful surface, thanks in part to sharp bowling from the West Indies’ quicks. Romario Shepherd caught the edge of Pathum Nissanka’s bat three times, conceded fours behind the wicket, and then had him caught by the keeper on the third occasion to make the West Indies’ first breakthrough. Kusal Perera was then bowled by Shamar Joseph early in the following over.
When Kusal Mendis was also bowled by an excellent quicker delivery from Gudakesh Motie, leaving Sri Lanka at 58 for 3, it felt as if the West Indies were about to carve open the game.
Kamindu may be good at cricket
But then perhaps it’s time to admit that Kamindu appears to know what he is doing on a cricket field. Having recently become the fastest batter since 1950 to 1000 Test runs, he produced 50 off 41 here in the shortest format, outdone in his team only by Asalanka, who clubbed 59 off 35. Kamindu would also bowl two overs for 14, switching arms when necessary. He took the wicket of the opposition’s top scorer, King, with his left-arm spin and collected figures of 1 for 14.
