Oshane Thomas five-for trumps Perera-Hasaranga counterattack

Lendl Simmons batted through the innings, while Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard clobbered Sri Lanka through the center overs to propel West Indies to a commanding score in Pallekele. Despite a half-century from Kusal Perera, Sri Lanka couldn't get close - they lost five wickets, all to Oshane Thomas in the Powerplay. And even though Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga did their finest to regenerate the innings, Sri Lanka had lost too much ground against the new ball.

West Indies had an intimidating score on the board, but nonetheless there is bowling to be done, and Oshane Thomas settled this match within the first five overs. It wasn't the most accurate spell. All up Thomas bowled seven wides. Nonetheless it was fast and it had been hostile, and even on a decent batting track, Sri Lanka's batsmen (apart from Kusal Perera) could not counter him. Avishka Fernando was the first ever to be dismissed, by a 140kph bouncer that got big on him, and which he could only top edge to the wicketkeeper. Shehan Jayasuriya was out next ball, chasing a brief wide the one which he top-edged to third man. Later in that same over, Kusal Mendis will be dismissed as well, when he tried to shovel a leg-side bouncer over his shoulder and could only get glove to it.

Next over, Angelo Mathews holed out trying to bash Thomas over the legside, and Dasun Shanaka went too much across and had his leg stump disturbed by a full delivery. Thomas wasn't even necessary to bowl a fourth over. He'd done enough damage with the new ball to swing the overall game, picking right up figures of 5 for 28.

Andre Russell was playing his first T20 international in 20 months. Pollard was playing his 500th T20 game. Together they turned what appeared like it was going to be considered a good total right into a downright commanding one, Russell walloping 35 off 14 balls, before Pollard blasted 34 off 15. So excellent was the platform the openers had laid that Russell was sent in at No. 4, in the 13th over. He scored only 1 elope his first three balls, before his innings became popular against Sri Lanka's wristspinners. He smoked two sixes and a four off Lakshan Sandakan, and two sixes and a four off Wanindu Hasaranga within the next over, to earnestly raise West Indies' tempo. He was dismissed by a superb Lasith Malinga yorker, but Pollard came in soon after to ensure no momentum was lost. Pollard was especially good against his Mumbai Indians teammate Malinga, whose last over he reaped three fours from. He hit two other sixes in his innings.

Before Dre Russ and Pollard could get started their bruising innings', Lendl Simmons had laid the groundwork. He was imperious behind square on the offside early in his innings, lacing boundaries between point and third man, before in the final over of the Powerplay, he exploded against Isuru Udana, bludgeoning two sixes over square leg, and two fours through the off side, to reap 20 runs off the over. While Simmons got the innings cooking, Brandon King heated up too, and joined him for a 74-run partnership off 50 balls, and a large West Indies score always seemed likely. When the bigger hitters came in, Simmons wisely just strove to carefully turn over the strike. He batted through the innings, but hit his last boundary in the 10th over. Only five of the balls he faced in the next half of the innings were dots, however.

Perera had just got married on Tuesday, but was in the saddle with the Sri Lanka team on Wednesday, creating their best innings. Having opened, he was the only Sri Lanka batsman who appeared to have the way of measuring Thomas in the first overs, and would hit confident boundaries square on either side of the pitch, to have Sri Lanka touching the required rate through the Powerplay.

He eventually joined forces with Hasaranga, who hit sumptuous early boundaries square on the offside, and got settled right into a smart innings. The pair's partnership was worth 87 off 57 balls, nevertheless they were dismissed seven balls apart. Perera made 66 off 38 and Hasaranga 44 off 34. There is expect Sri Lanka while they stayed together, nonetheless it unraveled quickly once they were parted.

Part of the reason the Perera-Hasaranga stand couldn't quite become a match-winning one was right down to Rovman Powell, who bowled some cheap overs through the center. He pitched full - often he didn't pitch at all, delivering low full tosses. Although his bowling seemed innocuous Sri Lanka's batsmen couldn't get him away, his first three overs choosing only 16 runs. This meant that although Sri Lanka had a fast start, they couldn't quite maintain that tempo, despite set batsmen being in the middle. Powell would also pick up the wicket of Thisara Perera in his final over.