T20 World Cup 2021: Match 35, West Indies vs Sri Lanka – Who Said What

The 35^th match of the T20 World Cup got underway between West Indies and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. While the campaign hadn’t been fine for both Lanka and West Indies, teams stepped up to play the game solely for their pride which was taken away by Sri Lanka by 20 runs. West Indies won the toss and invited the Lankans to show up with the bat first.

Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka dominated the game with their stunning half-centuries and pushed Lanka towards a fine total of 189 runs on the board. While Nissanka played a crucial knock of 51 runs, Asalanka came with a fiery knock of 68 runs.  Andre Russell turned out to be the only fair bowler from the West Indies side as he picked two wickets while conceding at 8.20 while other bowlers went extremely costly.

Wanindu Hasaranga keeps shining for Sri Lanka

When the chase game of West Indies kicked in, openers came and walked back quickly. However, all the hopes were brought in from Nicholas Pooran who just got four runs short of his half-century (46 off 34). Shimron Hetmyer showcased class once again as he stunned all by smashing 81* off 54 but lacked support from the other end and West Indies has to hand over the game to Lankans. Wanindu Hasaranga maintained his rhythm and class by picking two wickets while conceding at an impressive 4.80.

Winning skipper, Dasun Shanaka said:

Overall it’s a very good victory. These youngsters have been working hard, so I’m really happy. The batsmen were brilliant and the bowling was also brilliant throughout the tournament. (On Asalanka and Nissanka) I knew that they have the potential. They worked really hard for this. They have a long career ahead and a lot of good cricket to come. Anywhere they go, they’ll have a special place in the team. I think the team is going in the right direction at the moment. The fans have been supporting us very well, lose or win, so we should thank every fan over here and all over the world. (On Hasaranga) He’s a gem. He’s a superstar in the making. Lot of cricket to be played, we have to protect him as well. As a captain, I back him in every situation.

Losing skipper, Kieron Pollard said:

I think we were below par. In a crucial match like this, you don’t want to see those things (for fielding). Our bowlers did okay, they got 189 but it was a very good batting track. The way Sri Lanka played, they didn’t bat us out of the game but played very smartly. Only 3 sixes but 17 fours, so they didn’t give us chances. Ran a lot of twos. Hetmyer batted brilliantly at the end, that’s what we know he can do as an individual. Come in early, knock the ball around and explode at the end. That’s what we want to see from him, a bit more consistency. Him and Pooran, we know we have these guys. I think cricket smarts is something that has plagued us. We have spoken time and time again especially from a batting perspective what we need to do as individuals and we have not done well. A couple of young guys are putting up their hands but the experienced guys, myself included, have not done well. We are not going to hide from the fact that it’s been disappointing for us. I’m sure all the guys are hurting in that dressing room. It’s something we didn’t see coming but we have to face reality.

Player of the match, Charith Asalanka said:

 It’s always a good thing to have a half-century and a match-winning innings for my country and I’ll look to do the same in future. Before the World Cup, I didn’t play a lot of T20 cricket but I asked the senior players, and I wanted to improve my game everyday with their help. I’ve waited for 5 years and worked hard to get to the national side, and this is the time I’m getting paid back so it is time to win more matches for my country. I’d like to thank the fans in my country for supporting us through and through.