A thrilling five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at Sabina Park, Jamaica saw West Indies wrap up the T20I series in style. A brilliant bowling Show from Shamar Joseph and a calm chase with Sherfane Rutherford leading the way, helped to seal 3-match series, ensuring home dominance at its best.
Sri Lanka began steadily after being asked to bat first for the third game in a row. In the early conditions of the match, openers Kamil Mishara and Pathum Nissanka hammered 48 in the opening five overs, particularly putting the West Indies bowlers under pressure. But, the tide of this fight turned when Joseph jumped into the fray.
The 33-year-old bowler continued to make his mark, picking up a wicket with his very first over and later in the same over he struck twice putting onward of Sri Lanka. Mishara, who blazed his way to 28 off just 23 balls before falling under the weight of expectation, was one of their main scalp as the visitors went from 72 for 1 to fall to a perilous position at 80 for 4 midway through their innings.
Dasun Shanaka and Dunith Wellalage tried to haul Sri Lanka back into the game. The duo steadied things for a while, but once Holder had Shanaka going across his crease to knock back the stumps with a clever delivery, things began to flee from Sri Lanka. Wellalage then offered some late impetus, punishing Joseph with a four-boundary over; the first three didn’t land out of the reach of long-on.
But that was negated when Joseph struck hard at the death. In his last over of the innings, the young pacer took three wickets to finish with a career-best 5 for 33, achieving his first five-wicket haul in T20Is. He helped keep Sri Lanka to 169, a total which looked under par for the way the opening overs had gone.
Sri Lanka bowled tightly, for much of the first half couldn’t get out West Indies who continued to fall behind on runs. But Dunith Wellalage was in no mood to give up his confidence, dismissing captain Shai Hope for just one before the visitors only conceded 10 runs from the first three overs of their second innings.
Still, Shimron Hetmyer made an attacking 31 off 16 balls to keep the run chase within breathing distance. Rutherford then kept his cool with an excellent 54 off just 40 balls as he navigated the hosts through a few nervy moments before taking them across the line, triumphing with two balls to spare in a historic series victory.
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