Sri Lanka react in savage fashion to crush Windies in game two. Debutante Dinuth Wellalage has West Indian batters in a dizzy spin. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka responded in emphatic fashion to the first game loss by crushing West Indies by 73 runs in Dambulla.
Stung by the first game reversal, the Lankans responded in merciless fashion to bowl out the visitors for 89 while they were in pursuit of 162.
Young debutante Dinuth Wellalage proved to be the catalyst spinning a web around the West Indian batters as he went on to grab 3 for 9 in a selection master-stroke.
Introduced early in West Indies chase, the young star soon had the visitors in trouble removing Brandon King and Evin Lewis who won the first game for the visitors cheaply, and aided by Maheesh Theekshana they ran riot with dismantling any hope of a challenge.
Wellalage led a accomplished spinning attack of Maheesh Theekshana (2 for 7 off 3.1 overs), Wannindu Hasarsnga de Silva (2 for 32 off 3 overs), and skipper Charith Asalanka (2 for 6 off 2 overs), to bamboozle the earlier free scoring Windies batters who found it impossible to counter the variation, leaving them in a mess.
It was all over by the 11th over when the West Indies collapsed to 40 for 7 wickets in 10.1 overs.
Wellalage continues to prove that he is a superstar of the future in an allround capacity. His composure and controlled performance outshines the more experienced players in the team, some who may be nervously pondering their futures in the team.
Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat and Sri Lanka’s batters managed 162 for 5 posing the question whether more tinkering was required to rectify the T20 composition in this format.
Pathum Nissanka found form smashing 54 off 49 balls, Kusal Mendis 26 off 25 deliveries, Kusal Perera 24 off 16 and Kamindu Mendis 19 off 14 and apart from mediocre contributions from the rest, including the customary middle order collapse, Sri Lanka stumbled to a defendable target.
Down to the decider, it will be interesting to see if West Indies have a counter to Sri Lanka’s all spin strategy which clearly looks like a winning one.
Sri Lanka will be aware that their batters need to put more runs on the board against a good West Indies attack that is by no means the best in the world, but can trouble the best on a given day.
It points to a nail biting end to what should be a close contest.
