Twitter Reactions: Nishan Madushka, Charith Asalanka reign supreme as Sri Lanka defeat West Indies in first ODI

After sealing the T20I series 2-1, Sri Lanka got the job done in the first ODI of the three-match series against West Indies in Pallekele. The absence of the senior cricketers has hurt the visitors once again as their top order flopped, which resulted in them being under pressure throughout the match.

Openers Alick Athanaze and Brandon King made 10 and 14 runs respectively while batting at number three, Keacy Carty made 37 runs. He built a partnership of 46 runs with Sherfane Rutherford, who played an excellent knock under pressure. The 26-year-old stepped up when the team needed him the most and made an unbeaten 74 runs, while Roston Chase remained not out for 33 runs.

The duo brought West Indies back into the contest and just when things were looking good for West Indies, the rain stopped play and the Caribbeans couldn’t complete their innings. They made 185 runs in 38.3 overs and Sri Lanka were asked to chase 232 runs in the second innings. Had they batted the entire 50 overs, the Shai Hope-led side could have scored more than 232 runs as both Rutherford and Chase looked to be in good form and there was Romario Shepherd who was waiting in the wings.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka looked extremely comfortable with the bat in the second innings. Pathum Nissanka, who missed the game due to an injury, was replaced by Nishan Madushka, who made 69 runs off 54 balls to set the tone for the team. Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama failed to contribute much but batting at number five, Charith Asalanka reigned supreme. 

He made 77 runs and brought Sri Lanka close to the target but couldn’t finish things off, which would disappoint the cricketer. Nevertheless, Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis made 18 and 30 runs respectively to win the game for the team. With that, Sri Lanka now lead 1-0 in the series.

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