HAMBANTOTA: Magnificent centuries from Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis that included a record double century partnership saw Sri Lanka crush a hapless West Indies by 161 runs in the second ODI played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Sooriyawewa here yesterday and take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Fernando scored his second ODI hundred (his first was also against West Indies in the World Cup) in his 17th ODI – a brilliant knock of 127 off 123 balls with ten fours that gave him the Player of the Match award and Mendis, also his second in his 75th ODI and his first since March 2017 - a power-packed innings of 119 at a run a ball inclusive of 12 fours.
The pair came together after Sri Lanka invited to bat first had been pushed onto the back foot by Sheldon Cottrell who in his second over sent back both Dimuth Karunaratne (1) and Kusal Perera (0), playing in his 100th ODI off successive deliveries to have them reeling at 9-2. Both batsmen paid the price of playing at shots outside the off stump and getting caught.
Fernando and Mendis not only restored the innings but put Sri Lanka firmly on the pedestal towards an imposing total of 345-8 to which the West Indies could resist with only 184 off 39.1 overs.
Their partnership of 239 off 227 balls really knocked the wind out of the West Indies sails as their bowling and fielding fell to pieces on the face of the batting onslaught the Lankans came up with. It was the highest partnership for any wicket at this venue beating the previous highest of 229 by Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka against Zimbabwe in 2017.
The straight forward catch put down by West Indies captain Kieron Pollard at slip off Jason Holder when Mendis was on two in the fourth over proved to be quite costly for had that chance been taken Sri Lanka would have been 12-3.
Mendis and Fernando fell two overs of each other and with Angelo Mathews playing his 100th ODI at home also being dismissed cheaply for one, Sri Lanka lost three quick wickets within the space of 16 balls. But cameo knocks of 36 off 25 balls from Thisara Perera, and Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga and Isuru Udana saw 99 runs being scored off the last ten overs and Sri Lanka to their highest total against the West Indies beating the 338-6 they scored in the 2019 World Cup at Durham.
The West Indies were undone once again by spin with Wanindu Hasaranga proving quite a handful with his wrong ’uns picking up three wickets for 30 and left-armer Lakshan Sandakan also taking three for 57.
West Indies got off to a decent start with Shai Hope and Sunil Ambris posting 64 for the first wicket, but then the spinners came into play and strangled the run rate to the extent that West Indies were forced to take risks in order to keep pace with the asking rate that kept on creeping up as the Lankans managed to cut off the boundaries. The task became even harder as wickets also started to tumble and it came to a stage of the innings that there was going to be only one winner in this contest. It was only a matter of time before Sri Lanka mopped up the West Indies innings to seal a comprehensive win and with it the series – their third against West Indies in four bilateral series.
With only one ODI left to play in the series at Pallekele on Sunday, West Indies will have to await another opportunity to register their first ODI series win against Sri Lanka.
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