Sri Lanka prepare for New Zealand challenge with unchanged T20I squad
Sri Lanka have named a strong 16-member squad led by Charith Asalanka for a six-match white-ball series involving three T20Is followed by three ODIs, against New Zealand.
Centuries from Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis and masterful spells by Wanindu Hasaranda and Lakshan Sandakan helped Sri Lanka stroll to a 161-run win over the West Indies in the second ODI here on Wednesday. In the process, Sri Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sheldon Cottrell struck early with wickets of Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera off consecutive balls in the third over. However, Mendis and Fernando not only reconstructed the hosts’ innings, but also put them in the driver’s seat with a mammoth 239-run stand for the third wicket.
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The West Indies had to wait till the 41st over for the next breakthrough, by which time both the batsmen had reached their centuries. The pair were looking to hit a boundary off every ball and Mendis fell in the process, edging Alzarri Joseph to wicketkeeper Shai Hope 119 (119 balls, 4×12).
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Fernando (127 off 123 balls, 4×10) also fell to Joseph in his next over, but Thisara Perera’s 25-ball 36 ensured that Sri Lanka reached an imposing 345/8 in the allotted 50 overs.
The West Indies hardly ever looked capable of giving Sri Lanka a fight. Hasaranga and Sandakan took three wickets each as the visitors folded for 184 in 39.1 overs.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka 345/8 in 50 overs (Avishka Fernando 127, Kusal Mendis 119; Sheldon Cottrell 4/67) vs West Indies 184 all out in 39.1 overs (Shai Hope 51, Nicholas Pooran 31; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/30, Lakshan Sandakan 3/57)
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