The 137-run stand between skipper Charith Asalanka and the debutant Nishan Madushka steered Sri Lanka to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series against West Indies in Pallekele on Sunday.
Shai Hope won the toss and elected to bat first, making minor changes to the side compared to the team that played the T20Is. Leg spinner Hayden Walsh and right-arm pacer Jayden Seales were brought in, strengthening the bowling attack. Additionally, Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty returned as top-order batters.
Sri Lanka handed an ODI debut to 25-year-old opening batter Nishan Madushka, with Pathum Nissanka missing out due to a quadriceps strain that was aggravated during the T20I series. The hosts were left with only one frontline pacer, Asitha Fernando, while Wanindu Hasaranga returned to the side, and Maheesh Theekshana was left out.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (C/WK), Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Hayden Walsh, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph
Sri Lanka XI: Nishan Madushka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (WK), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (C), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
Brandon King and Alick Athanaze opened the batting but could only manage to add 34 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga, back in the ODI side after missing the last two games against India, made an immediate impact after being introduced early—inside the first 10 overs.
First, he bowled King with his very first ball and then removed Athanaze at the beginning of his second over; Athanaze attempted to counterattack but ended up getting stumped. Jeffrey Vandersay also struck early, claiming the big wicket of Shai Hope. The West Indies captain was given out LBW after a successful review, leaving the visitors at 54 for 3 in 13 overs.
Sherfane Rutherford and Keacy Carty sought to stabilize the innings, forming a 46-run partnership off 75 balls for the fourth wicket. However, after scoring 37, Carty tried to clear the ropes off Charith Asalanka for the second time but ended up getting caught at long-on.
Roston Chase then joined the established batter, Rutherford, who looked solid from the start. He managed to hit a few fours and sixes as the duo gained momentum in their partnership, scoring 16 runs off Asalanka’s final over. At one point, the left-hander was on 35, with a strike rate of 62.50, but then quickly shifted gears and raced to 74 in 81 balls.
The fifth-wicket stand was building promisingly, with Chase also finding some boundaries. Together, they constructed an unbeaten 85-run partnership in just 78 balls when rain interrupted play, leaving the West Indies at 185 for 4 in 38.3 overs.
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There was no chance of resuming their innings after play was delayed for more than three hours. The match resumed at 8:25 PM, setting Sri Lanka a revised target of 232 in 37 overs to win, according to the DLS method.
Nishan Madushka and Avishka Fernando came out to bat, but Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks, losing 3 wickets for 45 runs in 6.3 overs, despite scoring at a healthy rate. Alzarri Joseph removed both Fernando and Kusal Mendis before Gudakesh Motie delivered a beauty to clean up Sadeera Samarawickrama, who has not been in the best form recently.
Asalanka joined Madushka in the middle, and together they effectively revived the chase. They kept the scoreboard ticking as the hosts raced to 150 in just 22 overs. Sri Lanka’s skipper registered his 13th ODI fifty before Madushka made history, scoring a half-century on debut and becoming the seventh Sri Lankan to reach the milestone.
Both players were striking at over 100, capitalizing on anything loose from the visitors. They formed a superb 137-run partnership for the fourth wicket, coming off just 109 balls, before the debutant was caught by King at slip off Motie. He batted brilliantly for his 54-ball 69, which included 7 fours and a six. Asalanka became the third victim of the left-arm spinner after batting beautifully for his 77 runs off 71 balls, hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes.
At 187 for 5, Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis came together, ensuring there were no further hiccups as they comfortably guided the team home, sharing a brisk 47 runs in 34 balls for the fifth wicket. Sri Lanka secured a 5-wicket win by the DLS method with 5.1 overs to spare.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alick Athanaze | st Kusal Mendis b Wanindu Hasaranga | 10 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Brandon King | b Wanindu Hasaranga | 14 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 58.33 |
| Keacy Carty | c Dunith Wellalage b Charith Asalanka | 37 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 63.79 |
| Shai Hope | lbw b Jeffery Vandersay | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 38.46 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | not out | 74 | 82 | 5 | 3 | 90.24 |
| Roston Chase | not out | 33 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 12 (b 0 , lb 9 , nb 0, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 185/4 (38.3 Overs, RR: 4.81) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 | |
| Janith Liyanage | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3.00 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 2.86 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 3.00 | |
| Jeffery Vandersay | 8.3 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 5.42 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 10 | 0 | 56 | 1 | 5.60 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan Madushka | c Brandon King b Gudakesh Motie | 69 | 54 | 7 | 1 | 127.78 |
| Avishka Fernando | c Roston Chase b Alzarri Joseph | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 71.43 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Shai Hope b Alzarri Joseph | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 162.50 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | b Gudakesh Motie | 18 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Charith Asalanka | lbw b Gudakesh Motie | 77 | 71 | 8 | 3 | 108.45 |
| Janith Liyanage | not out | 18 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 30 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 142.86 |
| Extras | 4 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 234/5 (31.5 Overs, RR: 7.35) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayden Seales | 4.5 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 9.56 | |
| Alzarri Joseph | 6 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 6.50 | |
| Gudakesh Motie | 8 | 0 | 47 | 3 | 5.88 | |
| Roston Chase | 6 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 7.00 | |
| Hayden Walsh | 4 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 9.25 | |
| Romario Shepherd | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 8.00 | |
