Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Asitha Fernando had sent West Indies crashing to 58 for 8, before that ninth-wicket resistance came. It took a superhuman effort from Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie to lift their side from a hole of 58/8 as the West Indies were always behind the game after Sri Lanka had them in a spin, literally, owing to the duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4 for 40), Maheesh Theekshana (3 for 25) and Asitha Fernando (3 for 35) helped bowl out West Indies for 189 in a match reduced to 44-overs-per-side before a half-century from their captain Charith Asalanka sealed the win 5.4 overs to spare.
Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Asitha Fernando had sent West Indies crashing to 58 for 8, before that ninth-wicket resistance came. Then, after the loss of two early wickets, Sri Lanka recovered through a 62-run partnership between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Nishan Madushka, before the in-form Charith Asalanka came in to produce a fluent half-century, and take Sri Lanka to a substantial victory, and another series victory under his fledgling captaincy.
Pitch and Toss
Pitch Report : Same pitch as the last game. It is abrasive and more grass cover. It looks a good batting surface. We will get some swing and also there will be turn for the spinners.
Toss : Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to bowl with one change in the playing XI bringing in Maheesh Theekshana for Jeffrey Vandersay. West Indies skipper Shai Hope batting first played with the same team from the previous match.
Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga spins a web as Sherfane Rutherford and Motie carries WI to 189 from 58 for 8
Towards the halfway mark, it looked like WI had managed to salvage something on a tricky used pitch. The visitors staged a remarkable recovery in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, reaching 189 after being reduced to 58/8 at one stage. A crucial 119-run partnership between Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie revived the innings and gave them a fighting chance.
Sent in to bat first after a significant rain delay reduced the match to 44-overs-per-side, West Indies struggled against the new ball. Alick Athanaze was deceived and bowled early by Maheesh Theekshana, followed by quick wickets from Asitha Fernando, who picked Brandon King (caught and bowled) and Shai Hope (bowled) in back to back overs. Maheesh Theekshana added another in his five-over opening spell, bowling Keacy Carty to leave WI reeling at 31/4.
West Indies Batting Line Up. Pic Credits: ESPNcricinfo
Wanindu Hasaranga also made an impact, dismissing Roston Chase with a sharp googly and Romario Shepherd with a legbreak. He struck again in his next over, dismissing Alzarri Joseph who failed to keep a quicker delivery out. Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana bowled Hayden Walsh with a flatter, quicker delivery, his figures at the time reading 6-1-16-3 and leaving WI tottering.
That’s when Rutherford (80 off 82) and Motie (50* off 61) initiated a stunning counterattack. Rutherford benefited from two dropped catches (on 23 and 72) and kept the scoreboard ticking with boundaries. Motie, more known for his bowling prowess, played a composed knock, reaching his ODI fifty off 61 balls. Their efforts dragged West Indies from the brink of collapse to a total over 100.
Rutherford eventually fell when he flicked a full toss from Fernando the man in the deep and Hasaranga eventually wrapped up the innings, getting rid of Jayden Seales with a googly and finishing with figures of 4 for 40. WI were bowled out for 189 with eight overs left in their innings.
Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie put on a record-breaking 119-run ninth-wicket stand, before Motie and Alzarri Joseph struck once apiece inside the powerplay. Aside from these stretches of dominance though, Sri Lanka ran away with the game. Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Asitha Fernando had sent West Indies crashing to 58 for 8, before that ninth-wicket resistance came.
Sri Lanka Bowling Line Up. Pic Credits: ESPNCricinfo
Although Hasaranga would go on to get more wickets, it was Maheesh Theekshana who was the best of Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers, and Maheesh Theekshana who set the collapse in motion with a gorgeous off break that beat the outside of left-hander Alick Athanaze’s bat and clip off stump. The off break turned big on this surface, and he threatened both right-handers and left-handers with it, going to the carrom ball only occasionally. The lines Theekshana bowled were mostly impeccable.
Later, a big off break would sneak between Keacy Carty’s bat and pad and rattle his stumps as well, before a slider beat the wild reverse-swipe that Walsh attempted off Theekshana in the 15th over. He collected figures of 3 for 25 off nine overs.
Hasaranga’s googlies were doing their usual damage, with Chase suckered in by one that was flighted beautifully. Hasaranga had to work less hard for the wickets of Romario Shepherd, and Alzarri Joseph, who didn’t fancy picking him. He’d take the final wicket of the innings too, getting Jayden Seales caught and bowled, and took home the game’s best figures of 4 for 40.
Fernando’s 3 for 35 was especially impressive on a track that did not favour him. He dismissed Brandon King with a surprise bouncer that King played at too early, before bowling Shai Hope with a slightly back of a length delivery that the batter dragged on to his stumps. That he broke the big Rutherford-Motie stand was also significant, even if the wicket of Rutherford came off a low full toss.
In fact, Rutherford had been struggling terribly before Motie joined him at the crease in the 16th over and provided the early impetus for their partnership. The No. 10 struck important boundaries, off Hasaranga especially, and by the end of the 25th over had 35 runs to Rutherford’s 33, though Rutherford had been there longer and faced more balls.
This is the point at which Rutherford began to attack however, having earlier seemed bewildered by every spinner Sri Lanka employed against him. There were suddenly sixes down the ground and on the legside from Rutherford – one hoick over deep square leg off Asalanka’s bowling taking him to his half century, off 57 balls. He continued to hit out until he was caught on the deep square leg boundary in the 35th over, having hit four sixes and seven fours. His 80 off 82 was the highest score in the game.
Sri Lanka had no qualms starting the bowling with spin with Maheesh Theekshana bowling the first over of the match after it began with a delayed start due to rain. The plan worked almost immediately as Maheesh Theekshana struck in his second over, sending the left-handed Alick Athanaze back. The first breakthrough started the procession for the West Indies that just didn’t seem to end.
Asitha Fernando got the dangerous Brandon King in the next over before accounting for Windies skipper Shai Hope’s wicket in the very next over. Once that was done, the spin twins bowled in tandem and West Indies fell like a pack of cards.
The whole middle order scored in binary digits as the West Indies had lost as many as eight wickets in just a little over 15 overs. This was the point where it could have been all over for the West Indies in just two deliveries but Sherfane Rutherford and Motie had other ideas. The duo decided to carry the side on their shoulders while maintaining the scoring rate. Motie and Rutherford picked and chose their bowlers to hit and were pretty successful in their attempt to do so.
Both brought up their fifties and crossed the 100-run partnership as West Indies got to 150, which didn’t look like a possibility when the visitors were 58/8. However, the West Indies were always a wicket away from falling apart again and that’s what happened. After the 119-run stand in just 19 overs, Fernando finally broke the partnership and Sri Lanka had the big wicket.
Motie stayed unbeaten after smashing his maiden half-century but despite all the fightback, they could only get to 189. Sri Lanka fancied their chances and once again, it was Asalanka to shore up the innings.
Charith Asalanka’s half century seals up the SL series win with one match to go
Sri Lanka lost Avishka Fernando to Alzarri Joseph early and Kusal Mendis followed him back to the pavilion soon after, bowled by Motie. But a 62-run stand between Nishan Madushka (38) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (38) helped steady the run-chase which was always on the cards.
When both the set batters fell – Madushka bowled by a slow off cutter from Joseph and Samarawickrama miscuing a paddle shot against Roston Chase – Asalanka played the captain’s hand, scoring at run-a ball and taking his side to an unassailable lead of 2-0 in a three-match series.
Then, after the loss of two early wickets, Sri Lanka recovered through a 62-run partnership between Sadeera Samarawickrama and Nishan Madushka, before the in-form Charith Asalanka came in to produce a fluent half-century, and take Sri Lanka to a substantial victory, and another series victory under his fledgling captaincy.
Sri Lanka Batting Line Up. Pic Credits: ESPNcricinfo
Though the pitch for this 44-over match – drizzle had delayed the start by two hours – was exceedingly spin friendly (it was the same track used for Sunday’s game), 190 was always going to be a challenge to defend. Where Sri Lanka’s spinners were able to be consistently menacing, often getting significant turn even off faster deliveries, West Indies’ slow bowlers did not quite have the same impact.
West Indies Bowling Line Up. Pic Credits: ESPNcricinfo
Motie was their best slow bowler, conceding only 18 from his nine overs, and taking the wicket of Kusal Mendis. But leg spinner Hayden Walsh was underwhelming, guilty of pitching far too short and being picked off – he went for 41 runs off his five overs. Roston Chase was also only moderately effective. In fact it was seamer Alzarri Joseph who collected the innings’ best figures of 2 for 30.
Nishan Madushka, the half-centurion from the series opener, started well yet again but couldn’t go on for long before being dismissed on 38. Sri Lanka too had lost a couple of early wickets but the Madushka-Sadeera Samarawickrama partnership took the game and any hope away.
West Indies dismissed both Madushka and Samarawickrama in a span of four overs following the 62-run partnership but Asalanka denied any such hope to take shape. The skipper remained unbeaten after a second fifty in the series with Kamindu Mendis chipping in as Sri Lanka sealed the series with a game left.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Charith Asalanka the winning skipper said : It is a very good thing for us. Guys are doing really well and hope to continue. (On picking Theekshana) Main reason was weather and there were reduced overs. He is a world-class bowler and I wanted to play him. Enjoying my role at number 5, I have a big role and wanted to do well.
Shai Hope the loosing skipper said : (On losing toss) I really don’t like to focus on things we can’t control. What we can control is our performance and our processes, and today was a poor performance. We need to play spin well, show more intent because we play a lot of dot balls. We don’t put enough revs on the ball, we bowl too quickly. Need to take a leaf out of the Sri Lankan spinners.
Maheesh Theekshana Player of the Match said : I was not in the XI when we left the hotel, thanks to rain I got a chance. Got lucky and thanks to the captain and coach, happy to contribute. The new ball is not easy to play, it is easier when the ball gets old. Enjoy both T20 and ODIs.
A comfortable win for Sri Lanka in the end who were always the superior team in this contest. They would have hoped to be chasing something a lot lower after they had West Indies at 58/8, but then Motie and Rutherford stitched together a solid partnership to set up a fighting target. In reply, Sri Lanka lost a couple of early wickets as Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis failed to get going. They got a partnership between Madushka and Samarawickrama, both they both were dismissed after scoring 38.
The skipper walked out and played with confidence, as he remained unbeaten at 62. He was supported by Liyanage for a while, and then Kamindu Mendis added the finishing touches. West Indies tried hard with the ball, but failed to create consistent moments of pressure and the target was always going to be meagre against a team that have made winning at home a sweet, sweet habit once again.
So Sri Lanka seal another home series. They are making winning at home a happy, happy habit once again. We’ll be back on Saturday for the final ODI from this same venue. Will Sri Lanka claim a whitewash or can West Indies get a consolation win would be the question.