Dubai: Sri Lanka produced a clinical performance to beat West Indies by 20 runs in a Super 12 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, here on Thursday.Riding on attacking fifties by Charith Asalanka (68 off 41) and Pathum Nissanka (51 off 41), Sri Lanka posted 189-3 in 20 overs. Apart from Asalanka, Kusal Perera (29) and Dasun Shanaka (25) also made valuable contributions with the bat for Sri Lanka.
In reply, a sparkling fifty by Shimron Hetmyer (81 not out off 54) went in vain as West Indies were restricted to 169-8 in 20 overs, losing by 20 runs. In addition to Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran also played a fighting knock (46 off 34) but it was not enough.
Wanindu Hasaranga (2/19), Binura Fernando (2/24) were the main wicket-takers for Sri Lanka.
Dasun Shanaka, winning captain, said,Ā Ā ‘A very good victory, the youngsters have worked hard to get this win and I’m happy for them. The bowlers were on the spot, as they have been for major parts of the tournament. I knew they had potential (on Nissanka and Asalanka), they have worked hard, they have a long career, and a lot of cricket to come. They’ll have a place in every team. The team is moving in the right direction, the fans have been behind us throughout, we are thankful for them, everyone here and around the world. He is a gem (on Wanindu Hasaranga), a superstar in the making. It’s still the start of his career. He needs to be protected as he’s a real prospect in world cricket.’
Kieron Pollard, losing captain, said, ‘We have been below par, in crucial games like this, we haven’t played well, we were not good enough. Was a good batting track, but 189 was a bit too much. They batted us out of the game, played smartly, 17 fours, only 3 sixes, they ran a lot of twos. That was the crucial moment there because they wouldn’t give us any chances but the bowlers kept coming. We wanted to restrict them to 120 or 140, but they batted really well. We needed to be smart with our batting, like Hetmyer did, we knew what he could do, knock the ones and twos, and then find the odd boundaries, like Hetmyer did, that was one positive, but we need him to show more such consistency. The batting of Nic Pooran was good as well. We need to have batting smarts, we have the talent, we haven’t done well, we have to accept it, our experienced players haven’t done well, including myself. We need to look at those things going forward, a couple of young guys have put their hand up, that’s good news for the future. It’s no secret, things like these happen, but cricket has to go on. We can be better, the guys have been hurting in the dressing room, especially the batters. We didn’t see this coming, but it has happened and that’s something we need to learn.’
Charith Asalanka, Player of the match, said ‘It’s always a good thing to have a half-century and a match-winning innings for my country and I’ll look to do the same in future. Before the World Cup, I didn’t play a lot of T20 cricket but I asked the senior players, and I wanted to improve my game everyday with their help. I’ve waited for 5 years and worked hard to get to the national side, and this is the time I’m getting paid back so it is time to win more matches for my country. I’d like to thank the fans in my country for supporting us through and through.’