Thursday Jun 11, 2026
Thursday Jun 11, 2026
Wednesday, 10 June 2026 05:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka team celebrate their ODI series win against West Indies
JAMAICA: Kusal Mendis became part of Sri Lankan cricket history when he joined Arjuna Ranatunga (in 1996) and Marvan Atapattu (in 2003) as one of only three captains to win an ODI series in the Caribbean when the third and final match was abandoned without a ball bowled at Sabina Park, Kingston on Monday.
Sri Lanka were clinical in the opening game and that was enough for them to win the three-match series 1-0 with rain dominating proceedings thereafter.
Mendis after being presented the trophy indoors said: “Firstly, I’m really happy that we won the series. We only played one game, but we did really well in that match. In batting, bowling and fielding, we performed well in all three departments. That’s why we won the series. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play the last two matches. It would have been good for everyone to get more game time before the World Cup. I’m very happy with my first series win as captain. Everyone supported me - the support staff and the players.”
It was a winning start for the Kusal Mendis-Gary Kirsten combo.
A disappointed West Indies captain Shai Hope said: “It’s quite frustrating for the series to end this way. There are certain things you can’t control. You can’t control Mother Nature and the weather. We still have to look at the learnings from that first game. You always want to be on the winning side because you can’t control what happened in the last two games. I must say the guys played well in patches, but there are still areas we can improve on. In a situation where only one game is played, it’s always difficult to get back into the series when you’re 1-0 down.”
“Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan team for the way they played in that first game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the other two games in. We just have to look ahead and focus on what’s in front of us now. We need to understand the conditions as best as we can. We got a taste of it in the first game. Adaptability is going to be very key for us, especially in these conditions here in Jamaica. The guys have been playing for quite some time now, so it’s about understanding what we need to do to get over the line against the Sri Lankan team. Hopefully, we can bounce back in the T20I series and make it a winning one for us.”
