Sri Lanka launch Kirsten-Mendis era with win over West Indies

Dushmantha Chameera ran through the West Indies batting, taking four wickets

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis during their second-wicket stand of 136 

• First ODI win in the Caribbean since 2013

Kusal Mendis with his Player of the Match award

Shai Hope was top scorer for West Indies with 56

JAMAICA: Sri Lanka began the Gary Kirsten era and Kusal Mendis’s return to the white ball captaincy with a win beating West Indies quite comfortably by 41 runs in the first ODI match played at Sabina Park, Kingston on Wednesday to go up one-up in the three-match series.

It was Sri Lanka’s first ODI win in West Indies since 2013, and they produced a clinical performance to attain that.

Mendis got his captaincy off to the perfect start as he starred in Sri Lanka’s win smashing 72 off just 62 balls (4 fours, 4 sixes) to take the Player of the Match award. Contributions from opener Pathum Nissanka (79 off 103 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) and the middle order helped Sri Lanka surpass the 300-run mark. In the run chase, West Indies fell short by 41 runs with only skipper Shai Hope going past fifty.

West Indies should have made the perfect start when Nissanka hit the first ball of the match straight to cover where it was dropped by Keacy Carty. Kamindu Mendis, opening the innings, got the first boundary of the game but didn’t last long as he became the first victim of the day. Kusal, who took 8 balls to get off the mark, finally smashed one over cow corner to get some momentum into his innings whereas Nissanka was motoring along at the other end.

Kusal then took a liking to Gudakesh Motie’s bowling further as he smashed him for a six and followed it up with 6, 4, 6 in another over to send the left-arm spinner out of the attack. That assault finally pushed Sri Lanka’s run rate past five after 20 overs and also helped Kusal reach his fifty before Nissanka did. The two batters then continued to keep the hosts at bay and gave Sri Lanka the ideal platform to push further. At the halfway mark, the visitors were 145/1. Matthew Forde finally ended the massive stand of 136 off 127 balls with Kusal getting a top edge. That wicket gave WI an opening to slip in a few quiet overs.

Nissanka eventually departed for 79 and Pavan Rathnayake made a scratchy 24. Sri Lanka were 218-3 heading into the final 10 overs and the duo of Charith Asalanka and Janith Liyanage gave them the ideal finish sharing a stand of 64 off 48 balls. Asalanka finished with 45 scored off 44 balls (3 fours, 1 six) whereas Liyanage made an unbeaten 44 off 29 balls (5 fours, 1 six) to help Sri Lanka to 303-7.

No team has chased 300 and over at this venue and won and West Indies was no exception. West Indies came out all guns blazing in the run chase. John Campbell flicked the second ball of the innings for a six and Justin Greaves also got going with a couple of boundaries. Greaves then hammered Asitha Fernando for a six and a four-off successive balls as WI raced to 50-0 after just 6 overs. Against the run of play, it was a run out that broke the opening stand and brought Sri Lanka back into the contest.

Shai Hope and Keacy Carty then dug in with a 52-run stand, off 68 balls of their own but a Kamindu Mendis blinder to get rid of Carty turned the game around before Dushmantha Chameera got rid of Hope for 56 off 66 balls (2 fours, 2 sixes). Chameera then used the reverse swing brilliantly to run through the tail and seal the win ending with figures of 4/67. The defeat put West Indies in more trouble in the ODI rankings table where they lie in 10th place. They need to finish in the first nine to gain automatic qualification to the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

The second ODI will take place at the same venue tomorrow.