Being set a target of 180, the West Indies got home with five balls to spare with the openers Brandon King and returning Evin Lewis laying the foundation for a magnificent outing with the bat. Brandon King and Evin Lewis, both slammed quickfire fifties as the openers potentially killed the chase with their 107-run opening stand off just 55 deliveries and helped the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the series.
West Indies won the first T20I by five wickets against Sri Lanka in Dambulla. Brandon King (63) and Evin Lewis (50) were the stars of the show as the duo were involved in a 107-run partnership for the first wicket chasing 179. Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka scored brisk fifties for the hosts but it proved to be in vain.
Pitch and Toss
Pitch Report : The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium has provided high-scoring matches. This venue is a batting-friendly turf, mostly in the second innings of the game. Captains have preferred chasing totals at this high-scoring venue. The pitch in Dambulla is expected to turn and slow bowlers will get good help here. In the evening, there is an expectation of dew which will make it easier for the batting side.
The pitch at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium largely favours bowlers, particularly spinners, as it tends to be dry and slow. The surface offers a turn, especially in the later stages of the game, making it challenging for batters to score freely. Dew factor will further make an impact in the latter half. Anything over 180 could be a fighting total on this surface.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and chose to bowl first with Springer, Motie and Chase included in the Playing XI. Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka batting first made a Playing XI comprising of 6-5 combination with two all-rounders.
Charith Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis 50’s propels SL to 179 for 7
Put in to bat, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were cautious at the start with only 11 runs off the first two overs. Nissanka stepped on the accelerator in the third over with back-to-back boundaries off Romario Shepherd. But he nicked the next ball behind to Shai Hope. Kusal Perera got off the mark with a boundary but was then castled by Shamar Joseph.
This brought man in form Kamindu Mendis to the crease as he got off the mark with a pull to the boundary. Kusal hit a four and a six off Alzarri Joseph while Kamindu hit a brace of boundaries in the next over as the Lankans raced to 54 for 2 in the PowerPlay. A quiet over from Roston Chase brought about a wicket in the following over as Kusal missed a cut shot and was bowled off Gudakesh Motie.
Out came Charith Asalanka who along with Kamindu took the attack back to West Indies as the former hit three boundaries in the 12th over. Kamindu scored his second T20I 50 to continue his stellar form. But soon after, the batter fell to a pull, holing out in the deep. Asalanka hit two more fours in the same over as he brought up his 50 as well. However, he perished after skying one to deep-midwicket. Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s cameo (17 off 10) guided Sri Lanka to a competitive 179 for 7.
By contrast, Sri Lanka’s top order had failed to prosper on a helpful surface, thanks in part to sharp bowling from 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 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 West Indies were about to carve open the game.
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, Brandon King, with his left-arm spin, and collected figures of 1 for 14.
Earlier, half-centuries by Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka had lifted Sri Lanka to a seemingly competitive 179, with the pair sharing an 82-run stand off 54 balls for the fourth wicket. However, it proved insufficient against the explosive West Indian openers, who dismantled Sri Lanka’s bowling attack.
Shamar Joseph was the most economical of West Indies’ bowlers, conceding only 27 from his four overs. Though Brandon King and Evin 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.
Brandon King and Evin Lewis propel WI to T20 win over SL
The run chase began with fireworks, as the duo of Brandon King and Lewis amassed 74 runs within a six-over powerplay, putting Sri Lanka on the defensive. Brandon King was the first to reach his half-century, elegantly carving a cover drive for four off Matheesha Pathirana. His 50 came off just 25 balls, while Lewis followed shortly, needing only 27 deliveries for his half-century.
Together, Brandon King and Lewis added 107 runs in just nine overs for the opening wicket. It was the highest partnership for West Indies against Sri Lanka in T20 cricket for any wicket. The partnership was eventually broken when Pathirana deceived Lewis with a slower ball, the batter edging it to Chamindu Wickramasinghe at backward point. Brandon King went on to top-score with a blazing 63 off 33 balls, including 11 fours and a six.
With the openers setting up the chase, the middle order merely had to rotate the strike, picking singles and taking calculated risks to seal the win. Sri Lanka attempted to claw back by picking up a few wickets, but the damage inflicted by the opening pair left the hosts in a near-impossible position. All-rounder Roston Chase and captain Powell steadied the innings, contributing 32 runs for the fourth wicket. Powell fell for 13 in the 17th over, mistiming a straight six attempt off Maheesh Theekshana to Wanindu Hasaranga at long-on.
Chase departed for 19, caught behind off Pathirana, but the job was nearly complete. Despite torrential rain threatening to wash out play, the ground staff’s swift efforts allowed the game to proceed after a 30-minute delay.
Lewis struck the first boundaries, launching Chamindu Wickramasinghe for a six and four at the end of the first over, but it was Brandon King who made the greatest impression while the fielding restrictions were in play. Brandon 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 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, Brandon 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 West Indies had 74 off the first six. They kept swinging, and by the end, Lewis made 50 off 28, and Brandon King 63 off 33. The requirement was fairly simple after their onslaught.
Brandon King and Evin Lewis crashed 107 off 55 balls at the top of the order, to set West Indies beautifully on course to their target of 180, in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Although the hosts’ middle-overs bowlers slowed 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.
West Indies began the chase menacingly. Evin Lewis smashed Chamindu Wickramasinghe for a six and a four. Brandon King at the other end looked to be in a belligerent mood, scoring three boundaries off Asitha Fernando. The duo brought up the 50-run stand in 4.4 overs and a costly 16-run sixth over saw West Indies race to 74 for 0 in the PowerPlay.
Brandon King brought up his 50 with a six and a four off Pathirana. His partner caught up to him in the next over with two massive sixes off Hasaranga. The left-hander finally succumbed to a low catch at backward point in the following over.
Sri Lanka managed to pull things back with quick wickets of Shai Hope and Brandon King across two overs. New batters Chase and Rovman Powell weren’t able to continue the onslaught and the scoring rate slowed down. A crucial 16th over saw West Indies score two boundaries in the 12-run over. Powell’s rusty innings came to an end as he was caught in the deep while Chase nicked one behind to Pathirana. With 13 needed off 12 balls, West Indies ran their twos hard and Sherfane Rutherford sealed the win with a boundary with four balls to spare.
Chasing 180 against and in Sri Lanka with the hosts’ bowling attack wasn’t going to be an easy task, however, both Lewis and Brandon King made their intentions very clear from the very first over. Lewis, who last played a T20I for the West Indies back in the T20 World Cup in 2022, on return hit a six and a four in the first over bowled by Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Brandon King followed it up with a couple of boundaries off Asitha Fernando in the next and there was no looking back from then on.
Switch to spin also didn’t help and Brandon King and Lewis took their chances which came off and the West Indies raced off to 74 in the powerplay. Sri Lanka needed multiple moments of magic as the visitors seemed to be running away with the game as they were off the blocks quite early on in the second innings.
Brandon King got to a 25-ball half-century with a six and a four of Matheesha Pathirana and skipper Charith Asalanka was slowly clueless regarding his bowling options as nothing was working. The duo achieved a 100-run stand in the 9th over and the result seemed inevitable before Sri Lanka finally struck in the 10th over. Pathirana sent back Lewis, who had just completed a half-century.
West Indies lost three wickets in as many consecutive overs as Sri Lanka got a window of opportunity to come back into the game. However, Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford with their cameos denied any such possibility. Even though the Windies went on to lose a couple more wickets the openers had ensured that there wasn’t much room left for the incoming batters to mess up leaving Sri Lanka to bowl out of their skins to get a result in their favour.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Charith Asalanka the loosing skipper said : I should give credit to their batters, but I think we could have bowled better in the powerplay. I am still experimenting, wanted a few overs from Chamindu, it didn’t work today. Will try other bowlers in the next match. The plus point is that we are playing good cricket. We have to do well and improve our bowling in the powerplay. That’s the main concern as a captain.
Rovman Powell the winning skipper said : It’s important to take an early lead in Sri Lanka. They are an excellent team at home. The toss is always going to be vital. You got to stay on top for as long as possible. I am a captain who believes in individual performances. The other members will gel and help them get over the line. We want players to play their natural game. It’s a combination that has worked well for us.
Brandon King is Player of the Match for his all round performance said : My role is to get the team off to a good start. It came out well as it was a good wicket. It’s more mental than anything else. Been out for a couple of months, but glad to be back on the field. I think the pitch got better. You had to have a good powerplay while chasing 180. Our role as openers was to get the team off to a good start.
West Indies win by 5 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match T20I series. Chasing a stiff target of 180, the Windies openers got them off to a brisk start as both of them attacked the bowlers right from the outset. Brandon King scored a few boundaries to start off, while Lewis struck some lusty sixes to put the Sri Lankan bowlers under pressure. Brandon King made good use of his feet throughout the innings and notched up a quick fifty. Lewis too notched up a half-century, but both the openers were dismissed following that.
Sri Lanka tried to pull things back by taking a few wickets after that 100-run stand between the openers. West Indies’ run rate dipped in the middle overs, however, Chase kept his cool and kept the scoreboard ticking by taking singles, twos and the occasional boundaries. Rutherford played sensibly towards the end and made sure West Indies get over the line in the 20th over. Pathirana took a couple of wickets, but the other Sri Lankan bowlers struggled today.
The West Indies is third in the global T20 rankings, while Sri Lanka languishes in eighth. The remaining two T20s of the series, also at Dambulla, will be played on October 15 and 17, before the teams head to Pallekele for a three-match ODI series.