The West Indies eased to a seven-wicket victory in the second T20I of their two-match series against Sri Lanka on Friday morning, handing Pollard his first T20I series win on his fourth attempt. The recall of some familiar faces proved vital to the win, as the returning Andre Russell (man of the series), Oshane Thomas (man of the match in the first encounter) and Fabian Allen (claiming 2 for 24 along with a run-out in the second game) all played their parts in the series victory.

Lewis out of sight, out of mind

Three months ago (assuming Gayle’s place in the World Cup squad is assured barring injuries) Evin Lewis was in pole position to partner the Jamaican at the top of the innings in the upcoming tournament. Even with Simmons in the side and his form, Lewis kept pace with his countryman by putting on good batting displays of his own. However, should Lewis not attain the required level of fitness in time for the next series, Simmons will be present with an opportunity to make hay in his absence. The West Indies, however, should not be deceived: as things stand, in the race for the T20 World Cup, Lewis is still ahead of Simmons. In the last eight innings in which Lewis has batted since the appointment of Pollard, he has managed five 40+ scores in comparison to Simmons' three, in his nine innings.