Sri Lanka 303 for 7 (Nissanka 79, Mendis 72; Forde 2-44) beat West Indies 262 (Hope 56, Greaves 45; Chameera 4-67) by 41 runs
The West Indies began their home summer in sour fashion, suffering a 41-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the first game of their three-match ODI series at Sabina Park on Wednesday.
Needing 304 runs for victory, Windies failed to make a game of the chase, losing ground on direct qualification for the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as a result.
The Caribbean side hadn’t played One-Day International cricket for six months prior to the contest, and it showed. They were ODI-rusty. The bowlers, particularly the seamers, were wayward; to the extent that the 20 extras reflected on the scorecard only tell a partial tale.
Despite restricting Sri Lanka to 32 for one in the powerplay, they found wicket-taking difficult throughout the middle overs. Although this is a well-documented weakness, their struggle to find lines on a damp wicket magnified the matter.
The Sri Lankan innings was a measured one, shaped by a dropped catch that saw Pathum Nissanka put down by Keacy Carty off the first ball of the contest, Jayden Seales the aggrieved party.