St John’s [Antigua], March 4 (ANI): After losing the opening T20I of the three-match series against West Indies, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said his side lost wickets at quick intervals and as a result they fell short by 20-30 runs.
Kieron Pollard’s six 6s in an over stole the show as West Indies registered a comprehensive four-wicket win here at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Thursday.
With this win, the hosts have gained a 1-0 lead in the series. Both the teams would now lock horns in the second T20I on Friday.
“After the start we got, it was very good batting by Dickwella and Nissanka, we didn’t assess the conditions. We lost too many wickets and were 20-30 short. I think 160 would have been a good score. Credit should go to the West Indies as they held their nerve,” Mathews said after the match.
Chasing 132, the hosts got off to a blazing start as the openers Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons put on 52 runs in the first three overs. However, Sri Lanka staged an emphatic comeback as spinner Akila Dananjaya took a hat-trick in the fourth over to send back Lewis (28), Chris Gayle (0), and Nicholas Pooran (0).
Simmons also departed soon after and West Indies was reduced to 62/4 in the fifth over. However, skipper Pollard provided real entertainment in the sixth over as he dispatched Dananjaya for six 6s and the hosts’ score read 98/4 after the conclusion of the sixth over.
Pollard departed after playing a knock of 38 off just 11 balls, but in the end, Jason Holder (29) and Dwayne Bravo (4) guided Windies to a four-wicket win with 41 balls to spare.
Earlier, a spirited bowling performance by the hosts helped them restrict Sri Lanka to 131/9 in the allotted twenty overs. (ANI)