Gayle steers Windies to victory over Lankans
KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 29 (AFP) - Chris Gayle notched his first
one-day hundred against Sri Lanka as he led West Indies to a crushing
six-wicket victory with more than 12 overs to spare in the opening match
of the three-nation international series at Sabina Park on Friday.
Replying to the visitors’ modest total of 208 all out off 48.3 overs,
the hard-hitting opening batsman delighted his fellow Jamaicans with
another dominant effort on the way to his 21st ODI century.
|
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle celebrates after scoring a
century during the first match of the Tri-Nation series at
the Sabina Park stadium in Kingston on June 28, 2013. Sri
Lanka scored 208/10 at the end of their innings. AFP |
His 109 came off 100 deliveries and was embellished with seven sixes
and nine fours.
That pushed his team on to 209 for four off 37.5 overs and they
earned a bonus point as well for reaching their target before the
conclusion of the 40th over.
That extra point is likely to be significant in the latter stages of
the competition, especially with World Cup-holders and recent Champions
Trophy winners India entering the fray on Sunday against a West Indies
team that will be buoyant following their comprehensive opening triumph.
Any anxiety that home fans may have had about the target facing them
were erased by the confidence of Gayle’s start. The former captain
dominated an opening partnership of 115 by the 21st over with Johnson
Charles, who rode his luck for a supporting but struggling 29 before he
fell off the bowling of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
Ajantha Mendis eventually accounted for Gayle via a miscued swing to
leg, but the clever slow bowler, making a return to the Sri Lankan side,
did not materialise as the threat his teammates would have hoped.
Darren Bravo was run out near the end for 27 and Kieron Pollard was
unlucky to be adjudged lbw to Nuwan Kulasekara, but by then the match
was over as a contest and Marlon Samuels, with skipper Dwayne Bravo at
the other end, ensured that victory was complete.
Earlier, Sunil Narine returned to his miserly, wicket-taking best,
snaring four for 40 as Sri Lanka faltered after a deceptively bright
start to be dismissed for 208.
He had an instant impact on the match when he came on in the 18th
over, removing the prolific and experienced pair of Mahela Jayawardene
(52) and Kumar Sangakkara (17) in his first three overs to immediately
put the brake on what had been a promising start by the Sri Lankans.
Jayawardene was at his fluent best, dominating an opening partnership
of 62 with Upul Tharanga before they were separated by Bravo.
In contrast, Sangakkara never really got going and the West Indies
were understandably delighted when he pushed a straightforward catch to
Pollard at cover.
Ravi Rampaul backed up the frontline spinner’s effort with three
wickets and it was left to Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews to hold the
innings together following the demise of the two big hitters, his
unbeaten 55 being the top score as he capitalised on an early bit of
luck when put down by Gayle off the bowling of pacer Kemar Roach.
Speaking after the match, Mathews acknowledged that with Gayle in
such a mood, his team’s total was never going to be enough. “We needed
early wickets and that didn’t happen,” he lamented. “And when Chris is
in that sort of mind-set, no bowling attack in the world can stop and no
target is too much.”
SCOREBOARD
SRI LANKA
U. Tharanga c Ramdin b DJ Bravo 25
M. Jayawardene c Ramdin b Narine 52
K. Sangakkara c Pollard b Narine 17
D. Chandimal c DJ Bravo b Samuels 21
A. Mathews not out 55
L. Thirimanne c Charles b Rampaul 06
N. Kulasekara c Pollard b Rampaul 02
J. Mendis c Samuels b Narine 05
R. Herath c Sammy b Rampaul 04
L. Malinga lbw Narine 08
A. Mendis c Charles b DJ Bravo 02
Extras (b5, lb2, w4) 11
Total (10 wickets, 48.3 overs) 208
Fall of wickets: 1-62 (Tharanga), 2-85 (Jayawardene)
3-104 (Sangakkara), 4-140 (Chandimal)
5-151 (Thirimanne), 6-159 (Kulasekara)
7-176 (J. Mendis), 8-190 (Herath)
9-205 (Malinga), 10-208 (A. Mendis)
Bowling: Roach 7-1-41-0
Rampaul 10-0-38-3
Sammy 10-0-34-0
DJ Bravo 7.3-0-37-2
Narine 10-0-40-4
Samuels 4-1-11-1
WEST INDIES
C. Gayle c Chandimal b A. Mendis 109
J. Charles c Jayawardene b Herath 29
D.M. Bravo run out 27
M. Samuels not out 15
K. Pollard lbw Kulasekara 00
D.J. Bravo not out 08
Extras (b4, lb7, w10) 21
Total (4 wickets, 37.5 overs) 209
Fall of wickets: 1-115 (Charles), 2-181 (Gayle)
3-190 (D.M. Bravo), 4-193 (Pollard)
Did not bat: D. Ramdin, D. Sammy, S. Narine, R. Rampaul
K. Roach
Bowling: Malinga 7-0-34-0
Kulasekara 8-1-39-1
A. Mendis 10-0-53-1
Mathews 5-0-28-0
Herath 6-0-37-1
J. Mendis 1.5-1-7-0 |
