The West Indies Masters, missing the star power of Chris Gayle and Brian Lara, suffered a 21-run defeat to the Sri Lanka Masters in their International Masters League T20 clash at BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Thursday. It was their first loss after beginning their campaign with back-to-back victories over Australia and England.
Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Caribbean side got off to the perfect start when Upul Tharanga was run out on just the third ball of the match, giving them early momentum. However, Sri Lanka regrouped well, led by a composed knock from Kumar Sangakkara, who struck 47 off 42 balls, stabilizing the innings after the early setback.
Lahiru Thirimanne (14) and Jeevan Mendis (12) failed to capitalize on their starts, but the real game-changer for Sri Lanka was Asela Gunaratne, who took the attack to the West Indies bowlers. His 64 off 45 balls, featuring seven boundaries and two sixes, shifted the game in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Despite some sharp work in the field leading to three run-outs, the West Indies bowlers, led by Ashley Nurse (3-23) and Tino Best (3-32), managed to restrict Sri Lanka Masters to 173-9 in 20 overs.
In response, West Indies lost Chadwick Walton for a duck in the third over, setting them back early. Dwayne Smith then counter-attacked, smashing 49 off 43 balls, with four fours and sixes, giving the team hope. Narsingh Deonarine (14 off 21) struggled to find fluency before being run out in the 12th over, leaving West Indies at 74-3, needing a major acceleration.
With Lendl Simmons (37 off 31) holding one end*, Jonathan Carter (17 off 10) and Ashley Nurse (2 off 4) came in with the intent to up the scoring rate but fell quickly. The pressure of the required run rate mounted, and despite Denesh Ramdin’s unbeaten 15 off 11 balls, West Indies ultimately finished at 152-5, falling 21 runs short.
Isuru Udana (2-15) was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers, while Chaturanga de Silva (1-23) and Jeevan Mendis (1-6 off one over) also chipped in.
The West Indies face off against India on Saturday, March 8.