WI-W vs SL-W: Inoka Ranaweera spins Sri Lanka to nail-biting victory against West Indies

Stafanie Taylor and Jannilea Glasgow's half-centuries go in vain as West Indies suffered 10 runs defeat against Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International at the National Cricket Stadium in St. George's, Grenada. 

Sri Lanka's batting

Sri Lanka set a target of 241 runs, finishing their innings at 240 for 6. Their innings was anchored by steady half-centuries from Hasini Perera, who scored 61 runs off 86 balls, and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who made 66 runs off 105 balls. After Chamari Athapaththu got out early for 27 in the 11th over, Perera and Samarawickrama built an 86-run partnership for the second wicket.

Other players like Nilakshika Silva and Kavisha Dilhara added useful runs, while Vishmi Gunaratne and Dewmi Vihanga gave a quick boost towards the end. Vihanga hit a six and a four in the last over before getting out. Her 14 runs off just 6 balls proved important and made a difference in the match.

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West Indies' chase

West India failed to build a steady partnership. Both openers were out by the eighth over, and by the 16th over, the team was down to 55 runs for 4 wickets. Taylor and Glasgow came together in the 23rd over with the team in trouble at 80 for 5. They carefully rebuilt the innings and shared an 89-run partnership for the sixth wicket, which kept their hopes alive.

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But when Taylor was run out in the 40th over, West Indies still needed 72 runs to win. Things got tougher when Glasgow was dismissed soon after. The West Indies lower order fought hard and brought the target down to 12 runs needed from the final over with two wickets left.

Inoka Ranaweera shines for Sri Lanka

Inoka Ranaweera was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, taking four wickets. In the tense final moments, Kavisha Dilhara held her nerve and took two quick wickets, dismissing Afy Fletcher and Karishma Ramharack within three balls, sealing a thrilling win for Sri Lanka.

Brief Scores

Sri Lanka 240/6 in 50 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 66, Hasini Perera 61; Hayley Matthews 2-46, Karishma Ramharack 2-57) beat West Indies 230 in 49.4 overs (Stafanie Taylor 66, Jannilea Glasgow 50; Inoka Ranaweera 4-44, Kavisha Dilhari 3-49) by 10 runs