Sri Lanka vs West Indies 2024/25, SL vs WI 2nd T20I Match Report, October 15, 2024

Sri Lanka Beaten 162 for 5 (Nissanka 54, Kusal Mendis 26, Shepherd 2-23). West Indies 89 (Powell 20, Wellalage 3-9, Asalanka 2-6, Theekshana 2-7) by 73 runs

Sri Lanka's spinners smashed through West Indies batters on a spinning Dambulla surface and leveled the series at one apiece by winning the second ODI by 73 runs.

Spinners from Sri Lanka show off their skills

Hasaranga, Sri Lanka's top spinner, bowled his first delivery of the game in the 11th over of the chase. And the fact that he took a wicket on that toss was perhaps the least remarkable aspect of it.

What was even more amazing was that he was the sixth bowler used by Sri Lanka and West Indies still managed to slump to 39 for 6. But who needs Hasaranga when you have the world-famous offspin styles of, er, Charith Asalanka? Yes, with two left-handers at the crease, the Sri Lanka captain opted to introduce himself and a right-arm variation from Kamindu Mendis in front of Hasaranga.

And it worked too. Asalanka's two overs brought two wickets for just six runs – and those weren't even the best numbers at this point in the game. No, that honor belonged to Wellalage – although he is by no means new to the international stage – who secured three awards.

Ahead of the match, Asalanka had stated that he had expected more for the spinners in the first T20I and his wish was fulfilled, and even more so in the second. Gudakesh Motie turning the ball square in the first innings would have set alarm bells ringing for the West Indies, but not even that could have prepared them for a 100km/h off-break from Theekshana.

We have to go back to the drawing board

In the first T20I, I had seen the West Indies batsmen execute their plans perfectly and put Sri Lanka's bowlers to the sword. Getting out, moving in the crease, using the depth, everything worked, although in reality the final over was nowhere near what it looked.

However, Sri Lanka capitalized on their learnings and came back stronger – especially by being prepared for what this surface had to offer and replacing pace bowling all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe with Wellalage.

However, West Indies seemed to have missed the memo and only had two spinners in their line-up. And these two – Motie and Roston Chase – did their part, scoring just 37 from their eight overs in total. It won't be a surprise if Fabian Allen gets a chance in the final game.

The West Indies batters then seemed at a loss as to how to deal with Sri Lanka's multiple spin threats, skillfully exploiting the conditions and making clever variations in pace, line and length. West Indies will need to come up with plans soon if they want to pose a threat in Thursday's decider.

Nissanka shines in hindsight

At first glance, Nissanka's innings seemed more damaging than anything else – and by the standards of modern T20 cricket, it wasn't too hard to see why. This was an innings that featured 42 runs at boundaries (9 fours and a six) but also included 27 dot balls.

In fact, it was a microcosm of Sri Lanka's innings as a whole; they played for 58 points. That meant less than five runs were scored in five of the first ten overs and about half of their Powerplay total of 52 was plundered in one over by Shamar Joseph, in which Nissanka plundered 25 runs through a combination of luck and pugnaciousness.

But if the end signaled the beginning of Sri Lanka's attack, Nissanka and company seemed to have other ideas. This over ensured that the first three overs, in which Sri Lanka mustered eight runs, were quickly behind; At the end of the powerplay, Sri Lanka's run rate was a healthy 8.66 – but that was the highest the team could reach at any point in the entire innings.

The rest of Nissanka's time at the crease was spent punctuating periods full of point deliveries and the odd single with an odd boundary. But the time he spent near the crease ensured he could do so consistently – ensuring Sri Lanka's strike rate remained above seven points or more.

Anchors are largely considered obsolete in T20 games, but on a wicket like this, Nissanka – who was named player of the match – proved invaluable (even if it didn't seem like it at the time), as he allowed the likes of Perera to go take risks early on. And then, with wickets in hand for the death overs, the middle and lower order struck unhindered. As a result, Sri Lanka scored 85 runs in the last ten overs – just four short of West Indies' final total.