Sri Lanka batting collapses to pace – lose warm-up game by 15 runs

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 00:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Smith and Joseph claim 15 wickets

Nial Smith scythed through

Sri Lanka’s batting, taking a match bag of 9/88

Sri Lanka, who required 94 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand on the fourth and final day for victory, collapsed dramatically to hand West Indies Select XI an unlikely 15-run victory in their four-day warm-up match played at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, on Sunday.

Sri Lanka resumed the final day in a strong position while chasing a target of 124, but were bowled out for just 108.

Fast bowlers Nial Smith and Alzarri Joseph starred with the ball, claiming nine wickets between them, with West Indies Select XI producing a disciplined bowling performance to defend the modest target.

Earlier in the match, seamer Asitha Fernando and spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and Sonal Dinusha bowled Sri Lanka into an excellent position to win the match by dismissing the home team for 199 in their second innings.

West Indies Select XI were 87-6 at one stage, with Ackeem Auguste having contributed 46 off those runs in the top order. Keemo Paul (29) and Joshua Bishop (68 off 42 balls, 5 fours, 5 sixes) contributed 74 runs in partnership for the seventh wicket to enable West Indies to get to their final total. Fernando, Jayasuriya, and Dinusha took three wickets apiece.

In their first innings, Sri Lanka scored 281 to gain a handy lead of 76. Dinesh Chandimal top-scored with 74 off 144 balls (9 fours), while there were useful contributions from Nishan Madushka (46 off 49 balls, 9 fours), skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (34 off 40), Dinusha (36 off 68), and Milan Rathnayake (41 off 57). Seamers Smith, Keemo Paul, and Joseph took nine wickets between them.

Scores:

West Indies Select XI 205 and 199 (Ackeem Auguste 46, Kemol Savory 27, Keemo Paul 29, Joshua Bishop 68, Asitha Fernando 3/27, Prabath Jayasuriya 3/70, Sonal Dinusha 3/42)

Sri Lanka 281 (o/n 173-4) (Nishan Madushka 46, Dinesh Chandimal 74, Dhananjaya de Silva 34, Sonal Dinusha 36, Milan Rathnayake 41, Nial Smith 4/58, Keemo Paul 3/67, Alzarri Joseph 2/45) and 108 (o/n 30-1) (Nishan Madushka 30, Dinesh Chandimal 19, Nial Smith 5/30, Alzarri Joseph 4/41)