West Indies edged past a stubborn Sri Lanka defence to complete a seven-wicket win in the first T20 international at Sabina Park, chasing down 148 with a ball to spare. Forecast rain never arrived, giving a lively home crowd their first full match to cheer after the ODI series was washed out.
Brief scores: West Indies 149 for 3 (Shai Hope 65 not out, Brandon King 37; Wanindu Hasaranga 2 for 32) beat Sri Lanka 147 for 9 (Kamindu Mendis 51; Jason Holder 3 for 18, Shamar Joseph 3 for 29) by seven wickets.
Rovman Powell finished the chase with a six flicked over deep midwicket off Dilshan Madushanka in the final over, but the platform was laid by captain Shai Hope. He carried his bat for an unbeaten 65 from 54 balls, batting through the innings and steering the side home without a late collapse.
Hope shared a rapid 67-run opening stand with King from 38 balls, then rebuilt through the middle with partnerships of 28, 33, and 21 not out alongside Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, and Powell.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers dragged the contest deep into the chase, conceding 66 in the powerplay but keeping the target alive until the last over. Hasaranga was their best performer with two for 32, while Eshan Malinga took one for 26.
On a pitch that rewarded discipline over free strokeplay, Sri Lanka’s batting fell short. Kamindu Mendis fought alone with 51 from 39 balls, and Kusal Mendis had earlier smashed 36 from 23 in the powerplay. Little support followed from the rest of the order.
Holder’s three for 18 set the tone with the ball and earned him player-of-the-match honours.
Openers set the tone
Chasing a modest total on a tricky surface usually demands a strong powerplay start, and Hope and King delivered. They plundered 66 in the first six overs as Sri Lanka let several chances slip.
King was at the heart of the missed opportunities. Dushmantha Chameera had him miscue a short ball to midwicket, only for a no-ball review to reprieve him. The free hit produced a single that should have been a run-out at mid-on, but a direct hit was missed. On the first ball of the next over, Madushanka appeared to trap King lbw before a review showed the ball pitching outside leg.
King capitalised with a 22-ball 37 before Hasaranga’s googly bowled him. Hope raced to 29 from 17 during the stand, then deliberately slowed to anchor the latter overs.
Sri Lanka squeeze the middle
After the explosive start, West Indies managed only 54 runs and lost two wickets across the next ten overs. Theekshana went wicketless but conceded just 20 in four overs, Hasaranga removed King and Hetmyer despite being more expensive, and Malinga mixed pace and length for one for 26. Chameera recovered with yorkers at the death.
Between the tenth over and the last, West Indies struck only one six and two fours, leaving six needed from the final over — a target Powell cleared in two balls.
Early Sri Lanka surge fades
Kusal Mendis lit up the powerplay with 36 from 23, including three sixes and two in a row off Matthew Forde in a 17-run fourth over. That proved Sri Lanka’s best over as wickets tumbled before the fielding restrictions ended.
From 43 without loss they slipped to 56 for three at the powerplay mark and 65 for four by the eighth over. Joseph took two wickets, the first a stunning Hetmyer catch at deep square leg to remove Pavan Rathnayake, the second a 142 kph delivery that induced Kusal’s leading edge to point.
A 6–5 bowling balance left Sri Lanka with a shorter batting line-up, increasing the cost of those early losses.
Kamindu and Shanaka rebuild
Kamindu and Dasun Shanaka steadied the innings with cautious intent, scoring only eight boundaries — including three sixes — across eight overs together while running hard for 7.37 an over. Chase tied them down with offbreaks, bowling 13 dots before Shanaka sliced to backward point attempting to accelerate.
Hasaranga managed just three from six before Joseph’s bouncer produced an edge to Hope. Kamindu fell in the final over attempting a risky second run to keep strike.
Holder shifts the momentum
Holder, fresh from an IPL final appearance, was introduced in the fifth over and immediately changed the game. He had Pathum Nissanka miscue to short third, then bowled the opener with a full inswinger. An lbw review next ball removed Lasith Croospulle and brought a hat-trick chance that went unrewarded.
Holder returned at the death to complete a three-wicket haul with a two-run penultimate over. Sri Lanka managed only 25 for four in the last five overs as Kamindu’s resistance could not lift them to a competitive total.