MAHEESH THEEKSHANA PLAYER OF THE MATCH 3/25
By Srian Obeyesekere
In a high class power play captaincy insulating authoritative unbeaten run a ball 62 in his brief roll wearing the big mantle, Skipper Charith Asalanka powered Sri Lanka to an unassailable 2-0 ODI Series back to back triumph over the West Indies with one to go in an absorbing night chase of a 190 target seeing off a testing 87 for 3 scenario to getting home by 5 wickets with 34 balls to spare yesterday at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium.
The left-hander thundered in a 7-boundary-1-over the top ecstatic victory hardened road in the wake of Sri Lanka’s smashing home series hurrah over India that in an overall muscling of reigniting the proud image the island nation basked in the one-day format.
That sheen that has set agog the country’s cricket crazy fan base was indeed scripted in the works with the ball that tripped the West Indies to 189 before a combined pace-spin dig out in 36 overs in the rain hit 44-over shoot out that pacer Asitha Fernando 3 for 35 in breaking the back of the opposition to the spin dios of Maheesh Theekshana 3 for 25 Player of the Match perfection and the ever wily leggy Wanindu Hasaranga 4 for 40 revelled in.
That that West Indian seizure hung on a thread of 58 for 8 precipitation did illustrate the articulating zip in the Lankan attack that was against all the odds challenged by the last ditch last wicket Sherfane Rutherford-Gudakesh gMotie herculean 119-run fightback.
In the ensuing battle between bat and ball, Rutherford did rise to phantom stature by a run a ball 80 bravado in a spree of 4 over the top and ,7 boundaries to decorating himself in the honor of taking three half centuries off the Sri Lankans from four outings, one of which a match winning knock in the first T20. It was an all bold effort with Motie a laudable half century that spurred on Rutherford.
Sri Lanka’s victory also belonged to the efforts of Nishan Madushka 38 with 6 boundaries who has made a remarkable entry to the short format in impacting himself by holding the Lankan batting in both ODIs to go with a debut half century, while a deserving pat on the back for comeback from a low patch by Sadeera Samarawickrama who also did display perfect temperament in a like score 38 with 6 boundaries in lifting Sri Lanka from 25 for 2 to 87 from where Samarawickrama stood to seeing the side past the hundred mark.
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 five wickets
