The West Indies Men’s Cricket Team has fallen to Sri Lanka again, this time in the first match of the One Day International Series in Pakelle.
This defeat came in what was a rain-affected encounter. With Sunday’s victory, the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, the Windies finished at 48-2 during the first powerplay.
The Sri Lankans restricted run-scoring significantly, limiting boundaries and stifling the run rate on the spin-friendly surface. The regular loss of wickets further compounded the Windies’ struggles, leaving them at 100-4 in the 25th over and in desperate need of a partnership.
A stabilising stand eventually emerged, thanks to Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford. The middle-order batsmen put together an unbeaten 85-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with Rutherford scoring a commendable 74, supported by Chase’s 33.
Just as momentum seemed to be shifting in the Men in Maroon’s favor, showers interrupted play in the 39th over, forcing players and officials off the field for an extended period. This break meant the Windies’ innings concluded at 185-4, which was adjusted to a target of 232 for the Sri Lankans to chase in 37 overs.
The rain-soaked surface proved slippery for the Windies, with spinners struggling to maintain their economy with the wet ball.
A 137-run partnership between Captain Charith Asalanka and Nishan Madushka provided the necessary backbone for the Sri Lankan response, leading to their eventual victory by five wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.
In a post-match interview, Captain Shai Hope indicated that the Windies must find ways to cope despite the challenging conditions.
“It’s something we can’t control. Yes, it’s challenging conditions, but we have to do better next time. We were showing good intent in the back end of the innings. Sherfane (Rutherford) played a wonderful knock. We have to take a leaf out of his book,” Hope said.
The Men in Maroon will hope for a better performance when they face the same opposition in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday.
PHOTO credit: ICC
