The first T20 match between the West Indies and Sri Lanka witnessed a breathtaking display of power-hitting, culminating in a commanding five-wicket victory for the visitors. The West Indies, led by the explosive opening duo of Brandon King and Evin Lewis, chased down the target of 180 with five balls to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The run chase began with fireworks as King and Lewis amassed a staggering 74 runs within the six-over powerplay, putting Sri Lanka on the back foot. 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, reaching his half-century in 27 deliveries. King’s crucial knock ended on 63 off 33 balls, including 11 fours and a six.
“My role was to get the team off to a good start — and it came off well”, said King after his impactful performance. The duo’s partnership was eventually broken when Lewis was deceived by a slower ball from Pathirana, edging it to Chamindu Wickramasinghe at backward point. However, the damage had already been done. The opening partnership of 107 runs in just nine overs was the highest for West Indies against Sri Lanka in T20 cricket for any wicket.
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 their way back into the game by picking up a few wickets, but the damage inflicted by the opening pair left them in a near-impossible position.
All-rounder Roston Chase and captain Rovman 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.
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.
“Whatever we did today it didn’t work out for us, but we will come back after addressing a few issues,” said Sri Lanka skipper Asalanka. “The plus point for us is that we are playing good cricket.”
The West Indies, currently ranked third in the global T20 rankings, will look to extend their lead in the series in the next two matches. 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.
