Match Centre
Match Details
Toss
Player Of The Match
Series result
Match number
Season
Match days
TV Umpires
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
Scorecard Summary
SRI LANKA 131/9 (20 OVERS)
- Niroshan Dickwella33 (29)
- Pathum Nissanka39 (34)
- Fabian Allen1/4 (1)
- Obed McCoy2/25 (4)
WEST INDIES 134/6 (13.1 OVERS)
- Kieron Pollard38 (11)
- Jason Holder*29 (24)
- Akila Dananjaya3/62 (4)
- Wanindu Hasaranga3/12 (4)
Scorer: Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Hemant Brar (@Cricquest)
That's it from us folks, at the end of a bizarre but compelling first match between these two teams. Madushka Balasuriya's report should be in soon. We'll be back with you for the second T20, in a little less than 48 hours' time. Take it easy.
Pollard again: "Kudos to the bowling line up for restricting them to 132. We started off pretty well and faltered in the middle with the hat-trick coming there. But we backed ourselves. If hitting sixes is our strength, we want to capitalise on our strengths. The series is going to be their spinners against our batters. We're not going to hide from that reality. It's about time that we start winning cricket games. We've tried to give guys opportunities with an eye on the World Cup. But we need to win cricket games, so we have to balance it."
Mathews: "At the start if was really good batting by Nissanka and Dickwella. We didn't assess the conditions after the first few overs. 160 would have been a good score on this. I knew we needed wickets to win this game. Had that catch been taken it would have been an interesting match. But mistakes do happen.
I though Akila and Wanindu Hasaranga bowled brilliantly - they had the batsmen guessing. That's a plus point.
Pollard as we know is very destructive. What I told Akila was to go for his wicket even if he gets hit for six sixes. If he miscued one we could have got him out. Unfortunately it didn't happen."
Abhinav : "Who knew an innings of 4 of 17 balls is just what a team would need in a T20 match while chasing "
Pollard, who is player of the match: "I felt I could hit six sixes after the third one. I did it in the Super 50 as well. I just backed myself. Once I had five sixes I knew I had the bowler on the back foot. He was going around the wicket and it was difficult for him. I just told myself: go for it"
What an incredible chase - one in which West Indies flexed their batting power, and suggested that phenomena such as momentum don't really apply to a team with such extraordinary gifts. When Akila Dananjaya took that hat-trick, you could sense that Sri Lanka had a chance of defending their poor total. But within the space of a few balls, Kieron Pollard had pounded them out of the game, taking the same bowler for six sixes.
Wanindu Hasaranga gave Sri Lanka another sniff, but a dropped catch off Holder (again off the bowling of Dananjaya) prevented the match from having a final twist.
Nuwan Pradeep comes into the attack for the first time.
END OF OVER:13 | 2 Runs | WI: 128/6 (4 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 9.84, RRR: 0.57)
- Dwayne Bravo4 (17b)
- Jason Holder23 (23b)
- Ashen Bandara1-0-2-0
- Dushmantha Chameera3-0-29-0
Match Coverage
All Match NewsIn pictures: How Kieron Pollard hit six sixes in an over
The West Indies batsman added his name to record books against Akila Dananjaya who had just taken a hat-trick
Kieron Pollard's six sixes in an over trumps Akila Dananjaya hat-trick in dramatic chase
Akila Dananjaya had a day to remember and a day to forget in the space of an over
Pollard backs seniors to get West Indies back into winning habit
He says giving some younger players chances hasn't produced "consistent" results
West Indies test old guard as build-up to T20 World Cup begins
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are looking to win their first international game in more than a year