Giant killing act by Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 4 wkts

by A.C De Silva

Nehru Cup: Sri Lankans were well prepared for the arduous task and they believed in their skill and they seemed well prepared and in skipper Arjuna Ranatunga they had a leader who went flat out to get the best out of his side to beat the West Indies in the princely State of Sautrastra m in Rajkot,

The Sri Lankan had in skipper Arjuna Ranatunga a forceful player and he put the West Indies to bat after winning the toss.

Though the Lanka team was not much heard of in their early days they had in skipper Arjuna Ranatunga who never gave up trying an he did well to put the West Indies to bat first after winning the toss.

The West Indies had a disastrous beginning in the Champions Trophy in Sharjah had another disastrous beginning here in the Nehru Cup.

With a packed off side field and bowling concentrated around the off-side and bowling concentrated around off stump, the West Indian batsman didn't get things moving. It appeared at one point that the West Indies may not even see a total of 150 to defend. Two wickets fell for 20 runs.

But Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards took quite some time to settle down and after the ball of those two early wickets the Windies batsmen somewhat settled down. After two wickets had gone for 20 runs, the Windies batting somewhat settled down.

Opener Haynes made 42, Augustine Logie made 54 not out to bring somewhat of a resurrection to the side Logies is always a crisis man for the West Indies and he remained unbeaten on 54 and the West Indies went upto 176 for 9 wickets when the 50-overs were completed.

As for the Sri Lankan bowling, the wickets were shared with Ratnayake Wijegunawardene, Ashoka de Silva and Aravinda de Slva taking too wickets each.

Sri Lanka too did not have an easy time when they went into bat. Sri Lanka was down three wickets for 45 runs.

However, left - handers Asanka Gurusinha (66) and skipper Arajuna Ranatunga (34) held the innings together and stemmed the not.

The pick of the West Indies bowlers was Winston Benjamin. He saw the early exit of danger man Aravinda de Silva for just one run, but Gurusinha and Ranatunga associated themselves in a life-saving Partnership.

Benjamin took 3 for 22 in 9 overs for the West Indies - The best bowling figures of the West Indies.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies
D.Haynes c Labrooy b Aravinda de Silva			42
P.Simmons c Ashoka de Silva b Ratnayake			07 
R.Richardson c Ranatunga b Ratnayake			05
V. Richards b Wijegunawardene				24 
G. Logie not out	 				54	
C.Best b Ashoka de Silva				06
J. Dujon c Ranayake b Ashoka de Silva			04
W. Benjamin b Wijegunawardene				07
c. Ambrose C Gurusinha b Aravinda de Silva 		02
I. Bishop run out					03
C walsh not out						13
Extras (lb2, w 7)					09
Total (for 9 wkts in 50 overs)			       176

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-20, 2-83, 4-86, 5-96, 6-108, 7-141
		 8-144, 9-157
Bowling (SriLanka): R. Ratnayake 10-1-36-2
		    Labrooy 7-0-27-0
		    A. Ranatunge 3-0-14-0
		    Wijegunawardene 10-1-30—2
		    Ashoka de Silva 10-0-30-2
		    Aravinda de Silva 10-1-37-2

Sri Lanka
R. Mahanama C Dayon b Benjamin				12
B. Kuruppu c Richards b Bishop				01
A. Gurusinha b Benjamin					66
Aravinda de Silva c Duyon b Benjamin			01
R. Ranatunga c Richard b Ambrose			18
A. Ranatunga c Richards b Ambrose			34
A Samarasekera not out					12
Tillkeratne not out 					10
Extras: (Lb14, W7, Nb-5)				26
Total (for 6 wikts in 47.1 overs)		       180

Fall of Wickets : 1-6, 2-43, 3-45, 4-80, 5-145, 6-156
Bowling (West Indies) C Ambrose 10-2-27-1
		      I Bishop 10-1-44-1
		      C. Walsh 10-0-35-0
		      W. Benjamin 9-0-22-3
		      V. Richards 6-0-23-1
		      P.Simmons 2-0-11-0
		      C. Best 1-0-4-0