WI beat SL in 3rd T20I, seal series 2-1
What's the story
West Indies pulled off a stunning five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I of their series at Sabina Park, Kingston. The hosts chased down a target of 170 with just two balls to spare, thanks to Jason Holder's explosive cameo of 21 runs off just five balls and Sherfane Rutherford's steady 54*. Earlier in the game, Shamar Joseph took a five-wicket haul for the hosts. With this, the hosts won the series 2-1. Here are the key stats.
Match details
A steady start for West Indies
The West Indies innings got off to a rocky start with Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage dismissing captain Shai Hope for a duck on just the third ball. However, Brandon King (16 off 20) and Shimron Hetmyer (32 off 19) steadied the ship with a second-wicket partnership of 51 runs. The middle overs nearly derailed the chase with Hetmyer falling to Wanindu Hasaranga and King dismissed by the same bowler.
Game shift
The turning point of the match
Ackeem Auguste was bowled by Maheesh Theekshana, leaving West Indies at a precarious 53/4 in just nine balls. Rovman Powell (33 off 27) then took on the rebuilding job with Rutherford, adding 81 runs for the fifth wicket in 52 balls. The latter was then joined by Holder as the duo's fiery 36-run stand powered the hosts over the line in the final over.
Final push
Holder's blitzkrieg seals the deal for WI
Rutherford remained unbeaten on 54 off 40 balls with three fours and four sixes, striking at a healthy rate of 135. His half-century came at a crucial stage of the chase, keeping the required rate from spiraling out of control. The match-defining cameo came in the final two overs when Holder smashed three sixes off his first five balls, remaining unbeaten on an astonishing strike rate of 420.
Bowling performance
Hasaranga was the pick of SL bowlers
Despite the loss, Wanindu Hasaranga was the most economical bowler of the match with figures of 4-0-17-2 at an economy rate of just 4.20. Maheesh Theekshana also bowled well with figures of 4-1-26-1 at an economy rate of 6.50 while Dunith Wellalage took one wicket for 23 runs in his three overs. However, it was Sri Lanka's death bowling where they lost the match as Chameera and Eshan Malinga (4-0-30-0) failed to contain West Indies's lower-order hitting.