Sri Lanka 234 for 5 (Asalanka 77, Madushka 69, Motie 3-47) beat West Indies 185 for 4 (Rutherford 74*, Carty 37, Chase 33*, Hasaranga 2-18) by five wickets (DLS method)
Asalanka top-scored with a 71-ball 77, while Madushka finished with 69 off 54. Both departed unable to see the chase through, but considering the precarious position at which they had come together – 45 for 3 in the seventh over – they had done more than enough to ensure the win.
Kamindu Mendis was there at the end to see the win through, with an unbeaten 30 off 21, and alongside him was Janith Liyanage on a run-a-ball 18.
While Motie too went at over six an over he at least posed a wicket-taking threat. This was not something the pair of Roston Chase and Hayden Walsh Jr. could boast, as they gave up 80 runs in the 10 overs between them.
While this was down to a combination of errant bowling and ruthless batting, the West Indian spinners were also impacted by a wet ball as a result of a wet outfield. The rain also meant that the pitch had become easier to bat on by the time Sri Lanka took lease of the wicket.
Earlier, Sherfane Rutherford’s counterattack had been cut short by rain to bring to a premature close the West Indies innings on 185 for 4 after 38.3 overs.
Full report to follow