Hasaranga and Theekshana Spin West Indies Out, Securing Sri Lanka’s 2-1 Series Victory
Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana spin out the visitors as Sri Lanka wins the second ODI and the series against the West Indies 2-1.
At Pallekele, Sri Lanka won the second ODI by five wickets, securing a decisive series victory over the West Indies. The visitors were dismissed for 189 by Sri Lanka’s spin combination of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, despite a historic 119-run ninth-wicket partnership between Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie. Sri Lanka responded by chasing down the target and reaching 190/5, led by Charith Asalanka’s undefeated 62*.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
Sri Lanka 190 for 5 (Asalanka 62*, Joseph 2-30) beat West Indies 189 all out (Rutherford 80, Motie 50, Hasaranga 4-40, Theekshana 3-25, Fernando 3-35) by 5 wickets.
Match Analysis
Prior to Motie and Alzarri Joseph hitting one each inside the powerplay, Sherfane Rutherford and Gudakesh Motie put on a record-breaking 119-run ninth-wicket stand. But aside from these periods of supremacy, Sri Lanka won the match handily.
Prior to that ninth-wicket struggle, West Indies had collapsed to 58 for 8 thanks to Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Asitha Fernando. After losing two early wickets, Sri Lanka bounced back with a 62-run partnership between Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama. Then, with Charith Asalanka in form, he produced a smooth half-century to lead Sri Lanka to a significant victory and another series win under his inexperienced leadership.
190 was always going to be difficult to defend, even if the surface for this 44-over match—which started two hours later than scheduled due to rain—was incredibly spin-friendly. The slow bowlers from the West Indies did not nearly have the same effect as Sri Lanka’s spinners, who were able to remain constantly dangerous and frequently get substantial turn even off faster deliveries.
Their greatest slow bowler, Motie, took out Kusal Mendis and gave up just 18 runs in his nine overs. However, legspinner Hayden Walsh was unimpressive; he was picked off after pitching much too short, scoring 41 runs in his five overs. Additionally, Roston Chase’s effectiveness was relatively mild. Alzarri Joseph, a seamer, actually achieved the best figures of the innings (2 for 30).
Even though Hasaranga would go on to take more wickets, Theekshana was the greatest slow bowler in Sri Lanka. It was Theekshana’s stunning offbreak that clipped off stump and beat the outside of left-hander Alick Athanaze’s bat that started the collapse. On this surface, the offbreak became large, and he used it to threaten both left-handers and right-handers, only seldom visiting the carrom ball. The majority of Theekshana’s bowling lines were flawless.
Later, a large offbreak would rattle Keacy Carty’s stumps and slip between his bat and pad. In the 15th over, Walsh tried a crazy reverse-swipe, but it was beaten by a slider. Off nine overs, he amassed figures of 3 for 25.
Chase was drawn in by a gorgeously flown googly while Hasaranga’s googlies continued to inflict their usual damage. Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph didn’t want to pick Hasaranga, therefore he had to put in less effort to get their wickets. With the game’s best figures of 4 for 40, he would also take the last wicket of the innings, catching and bowling Jayden Seales.
Even on a track that did not favor him, Fernando’s 3 for 35 was very impressive. He bowled Shai Hope with a slightly back of a length delivery that the batter dragged on to his stumps after dismissing Brandon King with an unexpected bouncer that King played at too early. Even though Rutherford’s wicket was the result of a low full delivery, it was still important because he broke the crucial Rutherford-Motie stand.
Actually, before Motie joined him at the crease in the sixteenth over and gave their partnership its initial boost, Rutherford had been having a terrible time. Rutherford had been there longer and had faced more balls, but the No. 10 had hit crucial boundaries, particularly against Hasaranga, and had 35 runs to his 33 at the conclusion of the 25th over.
Rutherford, who had previously appeared perplexed by every spinner Sri Lanka used against him, started to attack at this point. With a single hoick over deep square leg off Asalanka’s bowling, Rutherford reached his half-century off 57 balls. Suddenly, he was hitting sixes down the ground and on the legside. He kept hitting out till he blasted four sixes and seven fours in the 35th over before being caught on the deep square leg boundary. The game’s highest score was 80 off 82.
After Madushka and Samarawickrama, both of whom scored 38, had removed Sri Lanka from immediate danger, Asalanka’s arrival into the game set them sailing toward the eventual five-wicket triumph with 34 balls left.
Asalanka’s early ability to hit boundaries is a defining feature of a strong innings. In this instance, he saw a full delivery outside off from the opposition’s finest seamer second ball and hammered it through point for four. Asalanka slog-swept Roston Chase for a boundary in between, then hammered him through square leg and through cover for two more fours in Joseph’s subsequent over. He was on 20 off 14 in an instant.
Despite the slower pace, he reached his half-century off the 48th ball he faced and proceeded to lead Sri Lanka to victory, finishing with 62 off 61 balls.
