Sri Lanka Made a winning start to their 2026 tour west indiesDefeated the host team by 41 runs in the first ODI match played at Sabina Park, Kingston. A brilliant all-round batting effort led by Kusal Mendis‘ Thanks to the aggressive innings of 72 runs, the visiting team made a challenging score of 303/7, but its bowlers completed their job by bowling out West Indies for 262 runs in 49.2 overs.
Kusal Mendis took Sri Lanka to a strong score
After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka built their innings on the back of solid early contributions Pathum Nissanka And Mendis’s fluent knock. Nissanka played a good inning of 79 runs in 103 balls with the help of nine fours and one six. Although Kamindu Mendis Falling out early on 12, Mendis took charge and shifted the momentum in Sri Lanka’s favour.
The wicketkeeper-batsman played an entertaining innings of 72 runs in just 62 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes. His aggressive approach ensured that Sri Lanka maintained a healthy scoring rate in the middle overs. Pawan Rathnayake Added 24 runs while being captain charit asalanka Made a valuable contribution of 45 runs in 44 balls.
Sri Lanka got another lead in the closing stages Zenith LianazWho played an important role of 44 runs in only 29 balls. His innings included five fours and a six and helped the visitors gain a lot of momentum in the final overs. Wanindu Hasaranga Sri Lanka crossed the 300-run mark by scoring seven runs in four balls and scored 303/7 runs in the allotted 50 overs.
For West Indies, Matthew Forde And Roston Chase He was the most effective bowler, taking two wickets each. jaden seals Also took two wickets, but the home team struggled to contain the Sri Lankan batsmen in the latter stages of the innings.
Also read: Sri Lanka announce multi-format squads for West Indies tour; Kusal Mendis earns white ball captaincy
Dushmantha Chameera and Mahesh Theekshana derail West Indies’ chase
West Indies make positive start while chasing 304 runs to win john campbell And Justin Greaves. Campbell scored 17 runs in 14 balls before being dismissed early, while Greaves played aggressively and scored 45 runs in 38 balls. kisi karti 27 couples, and captain shy hope Maintained the target by scoring 56 runs in 66 balls. Hope mixed caution with aggression, hitting two fours and two sixes, but did not get enough support from the middle order.
Sherfane Rutherford Could score only five runs, while Chase contributed 33 runs. Gudakesh Moti fought hard with 22 runs. Shamar Joseph An enthusiastic 23 were added in the lower order, but the required rate continued to rise.
Sri Lanka’s bowling attack maintained the pressure during the chase. Dushmantha Chameera He was an exceptional performer, taking 4 wickets for 67 runs in his 10 overs. Mahesh Theekshana Delivered a match-defining spell, claiming 2/26 in his full quota and stemming the flow of runs during the middle overs.
Asitha Fernando And Hasaranga took one wicket each, while Aslanka ensured the victory of the visiting team by dismissing the last batsman. West Indies were eventually all out for 262 with four balls remaining. Mendis was named Player of the Match for his explosive innings of 72 runs, which laid the foundation for Sri Lanka’s match-winning score.
Also read: West Indies vs SL, ODI Series: Date, Match Time, Broadcast and Live Streaming Details