Twitter Reactions: West Indies crumble as Sri Lanka registers massive victory in second T20I

Sri Lanka made an emphatic comeback to win the second T20I by 73 runs. In the opening game of the series, the hosts struggled with the ball but in the second match, the bowling unit stepped up big time and restricted the Rovman Powell-led side to just 89 runs. With that, they won the game and locked the series level at 1-1.

Batting first, Pathum Nissanka gave a good start to the hosts, scoring 54 runs off 49 deliveries. His strike rate can be a subject of discussion but the surface wasn’t easy to play an attacking brand of cricket. Sri Lanka assessed that well and planned accordingly, which went in their favour. They rotated well in the middle and that was key for them to post 162 runs on the board.

Credit goes to Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis for their cameos of 24 and 19 runs respectively, which was crucial for them to post a good total on the board. The West Indies bowlers meanwhile didn’t try much and it resulted in Sri Lanka having control of the game. Romario Shepherd did well for them, picking up two wickets for 23 runs in three overs.

When it came to the chase, the West Indies lost quick wickets as Sri Lankan bowlers were all over them. All top batters scored in single digits and interestingly, the captain Rovaman Powell pushed himself down and sent Gudakesh Motie up in the order. The move backfired as well and the visitors were in massive trouble.

Powell eventually batted at number seven and scored 20 runs which didn’t help much but at least pushed West Indies close to the three-digit mark. Later, Alzarri Joseph made 16 runs. Eight of West Indies batters scored in single digits and that looks very concerning for the team. The senior cricketers - Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer took a break from the series and in their absence, West Indies struggled incredibly.

Meanwhile, the returning Duntih Wellalage was the star with the ball for Sri Lanka, picking up three wickets while Maheesh Theekshana, Chairth Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga picked up two each.

Here's how X reacted:

Sri Lanka beats West Indies by 73 runs in 2nd T20I.#SLvsWI pic.twitter.com/z8RX5Dq22e

— Sumit Jain (@Boundary_Beats) October 15, 2024

West Indies Women's 89-0 (10)

West Indies Men's 89 All out vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka win by 73 runs and level the series 1-1#SLvWI #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rVsw7LIpmO

— Abhijeet ♞ (@TheYorkerBall) October 15, 2024

2nd T20i : Sri Lanka beat West Indies and Level the Series 1-1 #sportspavilionlk #SLvsWI #SLvWI #danushkaaravinda pic.twitter.com/iAQGTaMQEC

— DANUSHKA ARAVINDA (@DanuskaAravinda) October 15, 2024

Sri Lanka won by 73 runs, West Indies all out on 89.
Brilliant bowling by the Sri Lankan Spinners, Well Done Sanath Jayasuriya and team! #SLvWI pic.twitter.com/9wadqm7rKt

— Aqdas Rehman (@AqdasRehman) October 15, 2024

Oh boy, West Indies have come out smashing! While the men are struggling against Sri Lanka, the women are on their way to knocking England out...#engvwi

— Anshul Gupta (@oyegupta_) October 15, 2024

And Sri Lanka expose west Indies team weakness of batting on slow turning pitches. They just no clue how to bat on this type of pitch. #SLvsWI

— ⚡ Bee⚡  (@Bee_Hi123) October 15, 2024

What a come back by Jayasuriya's Sri Lanka again

West Indies 39/6
Target 163#tapmad #DontStopStreaming #SLvWI pic.twitter.com/2L87GRwaxC

— Abdul Ghaffar 🇵🇰 (@GhaffarDawnNews) October 15, 2024

Hahahaha Sri Lanka on a roll today. West Indies now 39-6 😂😂 this reminds me of our batters who played just like this in odis.

— Archer (@poserarcher) October 15, 2024