West Indies Cricket registered first ODI win on Sri Lankan soil after 19 years

The West Indies Cricket team registered their first ODI win in Sri Lanka since 2005, defeating the hosts by 8 wickets. This historic win by the West Indies was marked with an unbeaten knock of 102 runs by opener Evin Lewis.

Notably, this victory came in the hands of West Indies in the third match of the ICC Men’s ODI series against Sri Lanka. The game was played on Saturday, 26^th October, 2024 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Although the West Indies was unable to win the series, this victory in the third game helped the team prevent losing the series by a clean sweep, leading to scores of 2-1.

The final game of the series began with Windies winning the toss and deciding to bowl first. When the openers of Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando stepped into bat, they starting the inning on a good knock, scoring 56 and 34 runs respectively.

After the departure of Fernando, Kusal Mendis partnered with Nissanka and led the team to a total of 156 runs in 23 overs. Mendis also contributed 56 runs in just 22 balls, hitting 1 six and 9 fours.

As the overs were reduced to 23, therefore, the Windies were given a target of 195 runs. The bowling section of Sri Lanka performed decently in the beginning but they failed to maintain the grip as the game progressed.

The Sri Lankan team made several mistakes such as misfielding and dropping of catches. The advantages of these mistakes by the Sri Lankan team were well utilized by the Windies cricketer, Evin Lewis and Sherfane Rutherford.

The exceptional batting performance by Evin Lewis not only helped him in winning the Man of the Match Award but also surpassed the record set by the legendary cricketers like India’s Virender Sehwag and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.

As per the details, the Windies cricketer, Evin Lewis completed his 5^th ODI century and 3^rd against Sri Lanka in just 61 balls. On the other hand, the legends including Virender Sehwag and de Villiers reached their centuries in 66 balls.

Moreover, this tour of Sri Lanka has also been incredible for Windies cricketer Sherfane Rutherford. The player scored consecutive third half centuries in this series, scoring 74, 80 and 50 runs respectively. These consistent performances by the player have also been appreciated by the fans of Windies Cricket.

The exceptional performance by both, Lewis and Rutherford, helped West Indies team, chasing to the total of 196 runs in just 22 overs. Following the game, Evin Lewis was given the Man of the Match Award, who expressed gratitude and excitement at winning the title. He aimed to continue to contribute for the betterment of his team.