In the first game of a T20I series against Sri Lanka on Thursday, West Indies started with a victory by seven wickets in Kingston at Sabina Park. Set a modest target of 148, the hosts chased down their target with four balls to spare along for 149 for 3 to take a 1-0 lead into the three-match series.
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first but the West Indies held a disciplined line in their bowling attack. The visitors had settled for 147 for 9 in their 20 overs as the Caribbean bowlers were able to restrict the scoring rate through the innings. Jason Holder, the veteran all-rounder was named Player of the Match for his match-winning spell with the ball.
West Indies, in response, mounted a cavalier opening onus through the duo of Brandon King and Shai Hope. The duo put together a handy 67 to lay the groundwork for the chase. While King played an innings of 37 runs off just 22 balls, Hope supported him like a solid rock. With their aggressive start, the home side were never concerned about the required run rate.
Sri Lanka had threatened to make a competition of the chase with the two middle-order wickets with West Indies remaining safe during the powerplay. Roston Chase and Shimron Hetmyer played important knocks to set the innings up well before captain Rovman Powell also chipped in together with Hope to finish the job. The hosts then easily chased down the target with 19.2 overs to spare.
After losing the one day series to Sri Lanka, this has come as a relief for India after their tough ODI tour. West Indies, though, have bounced back well in the shortest format and will hope to ride that momentum into T20I 2. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have to solve their batting inconsistencies if they are to draw level in the series and stay in contention.
It leaves the series open going into the remaining two matches, but West Indies have seized an early lead and confidence following a professional all-round display at Kingston.
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