Angelo Mathews' timely bowling cameo proved crucial as an Avishka Fernando-inspired Sri Lanka fought off a spirited West Indies response in an entertaining World Cup 2019 dead rubber at The Riverside. Fernando's 104 helped lay the platform for a daunting total as Sri Lanka posted 338/6, with Kusal Perera (64) and Lahiru Thirimanne's unbeaten 45 also proving valuable. The Windies initially slumped to 84/4 but Nicholas Pooran's 118 led a fightback until his pivotal 48th-over dismissal to Mathews' first ball since December 2017. Despite at one stage threatening to pull off a record World Cup run chase, Monday's 23-run loss leaves the Windies with six defeats from their eight matches in the tournament. Get highlights of Sri Lanka vs West Indies here (SCORECARD | POINTS TABLE | FULL SCHEDULE)
23:44 hrs IST: That's it. Thank you for joining us!
Avishka Fernando, Player of the Match: "When I went in to bat, I am happy I did what was required of me. I am happy that the hundred was in a winning effort. They bowled really well to us. I am really happy that I got these opportunities and I have made use of them, and I will use them to take my game forward and developing my game for my country and my team."
23:32 hrs IST: That's it. Sri Lanka win by 23 runs. Mathews' two overs at the death proved to be crucial.
23:21 hrs IST: OUT! Massive blow to the Windies. Mathews removes Pooran for 118(103). West Indies are 311/8 after 48 overs, need 28 off 12.
23:15 hrs IST: Udana ends with 0/67. West Indies are 308/7 after 47 overs, need 31 off 18.
23:09 hrs IST: Perera misjudges a catch at long-off. Was a simple chance. Malinga is not happy. Lifeline for Pooran. West Indies are 299/7 after 46 overs.
23:01 hrs IST: Single and that's a century for Pooran. What a knock! Can he guide his side to a win? West Indies are 292/7 after 45 overs, need 47 off 30.
22:53 hrs IST: Half-century from Allen. Much-needed for the Windies, who need 57 off 36.
22:50 hrs IST: Expensive over from Udana, nine off it. West Indies are 271/6 aftr 43 overs, need 68 off 42.
22:44 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Rajitha and Allen pulls it over cow corner. West Indies are 262/6 after 42 overs, need 77 off 48.
22:37 hrs IST: Nineteen off the last 12 balls. West Indies are 244/6 after 40 overs. Pooran 83*, Allen 30*
22:27 hrs IST: Lasith Malinga on with his seventh over. Fabian Allen hits the second ball for a four, a very well executed pick-up shot to square leg boundary. Allen hits another four, off the fourth ball, by chipping over mid-on. 12 runs from the over. WI-225/6 after 38 overs. They need 114 runs from 72 balls. 46 runs and a wicket in the last five overs.
22:22 hrs IST: Isuru Udana on with his sixth over. Nicholas Pooran hits the last ball for a four. Streaky, behind the wicket. Six runs from the over. WI-213/6 after 37 overs. They need 126 runs. Pooran is on 80 off 72 balls, with the help of eight fours and two sixes.
22:16 hrs IST: Lasith Malinga returns for his sixth over. Seven runs from the over. WI-207/6 after 36 overs. They need 132 runs.
22:12 hrs IST: Isuru Udana continues. Carlos Braithwaite (8 off 15) run-out. Straight drive from Nicholas Pooran and Udana gets a fingertip to the ball before hitting the stumps. FoW-199/6 (34.4). Fabian Allen is the new man. Six runs from the over. WI-200/6 after 35 overs.
22:04 hrs IST: Kasun Rajitha continues. 15 runs from his eighth over, including a six off the fourth ball, over square leg boundary. WI-194/5 after 34 overs.
21:59 hrs IST: Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, right-arm medium pacer, introduces himself into the attack. Nicholas Pooran hits the first ball for a six, over mid-wicket. And fifty for the West Indian, in 57 balls. Seven runs from the over. WI-179/5 after 33 overs. They need 160 runs.
21:52 hrs IST: Kasun Rajitha on with his seventh over. Four runs from it. WI-172/5 after 32 overs. They need 167 runs. Drinks.
21:48 hrs IST: Jeffrey Vandersay continues. Nine runs from his seventh over, including a four off the fourth ball, hit by Nicholas Pooran. WI-168/5 after 31 overs. 36 runs and one wicket in last five overs.
21:34 hrs IST: OUT! Holder c (sub)J Mendis b Vandersay 26(26) [4s-4]
21:27 hrs IST: Six off De Silva's eighth. West Indies are 132/4 after 26 overs. Holder 24*, Pooran 21*
21:22 hrs IST: The Windies need a big partnership here. If they lose a couple of wickets, game over!
21:14 hrs IST: A wicket and thirty runs off the last 30 balls. West Indies are 111/4 after 22 overs. Holder 15*, Pooran 9*
21:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Good length delivery from Rajitha, Holder leans forward and hits it through cover. Shot! West Indies are 94/4 after 20 overs. Pooran 7*, Holder 5*
21:00 hrs IST: A wicket and six off the last two overs. Hetmyer departs. West Indies in all sorts of trouble now. They started the tournament as dark horses but failed to capitalise key moments. Jason Holder comes to the crease.
20:51 hrs IST: Only four runs off Udana's fourth. West Indies are 82/3 after 17 overs. Hetmyer 28*, Pooran 3*
20:46 hrs IST: OUT! Length ball from Rajitha, Gayle goes for the hoick across the line but gets a top-edge and Vandersay moves to his left from short third man to complete a good catch. Nicholas Pooran comes to the crease. West Indies are 78/3 after 16 overs.
20:39 hrs IST: Rihanna in the house today! Udana operating in tandem with Rajitha. A dot to Gayle, then a huge shot for LBW. West Indies are 65/2 after 15 overs.
20:35 hrs IST: Rajitha again. Gayle pulls the second ball for a maximum. Eight off the over. West Indies are 62/2 after 14 overs.
20:31 hrs IST: Udana continues. Some confusion. Umpires called it over, but still one ball left. Four runs, including a wide. West Indies are 54/2 after 13 overs.
20:25 hrs IST: Kasun Rajitha, right-arm medium pacer, into the attack. Gayle launches the second ball over mid-off for a boundary. Singles off the next two balls to bring up 50 for Windies, who are 50/2 after 12 overs.
20:21 hrs IST: Gayle takes a single to long-on. A dot then Shimron Hetmyer takes a double to backward square-leg. Hetmyer hits the last ball for a boundary, his first, through cover. West Indies are 44/2 after 11 overs.
20:14 hrs IST: De Silva continues to keep things tight. West Indies are 37/2 after the end of first Powerplay. Gayle 13*, Hetmyer 10*. Isuru Udana comes into the attack.
20:11 hrs IST: Only three runs off the last 12 deliveries. West Indies are 33/2 after 9 overs. Gayle 12*, Hetmyer 7*
There are still some problems for India to fix in this World Cup. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the main run-getters at the moment and the middle order needs to fire now, says former opener K Srikkanth. Read full story here
20:04 hrs IST: Thirimanne drops Gayle at square leg, while Mendis puts down a sitter at first slip (Hetmyer the batsman). Malinga can't believe it! West Indies should have been four down by now. They are 30/2 after 7 overs.
19:59 hrs IST: Superb over from De Silva, again just three off it. West Indies are 25/2 after 6 overs. Gayle 10*, Hetmyer 1*
19:55 hrs IST: OUT! Slower ball from Malinga, Hope, on back-foot, looks to hit it towards off-side but gets an inside edged onto his stumps. Shimron Hetmyer comes to the crease. West Indies are 22/2 after 5 overs.
19:50 hrs IST: Another fine over from De Silva, only three off it. West Indies are 20/1 after 4 overs. Gayle 7*, Hope 5*
19:46 hrs IST: OUT! Short from Malinga, Ambris goes for the pull but gets a top-edge that the keeper holds on to. What a start for Sri Lanka! Shai Hope comes to the crease. West Indies are 17/1 after 3 overs.
19:40 hrs IST: Decent start from De Silva. Five off his first six balls. West Indies are 11/0 after 2 overs. Gayle 5*, Ambris 5*
19:35 hrs IST: FOUR! Full from Malinga, outside off, Ambris opens the bat face and drives it through cover-point for his first boundary of the day. West Indies are 6/0 after the first over. Dhananjaya de Silva comes into the attack.
19:30 hrs IST: Time for West Indies' chase. Chris Gayle to take strike. Lasith Malinga to open the attack.
18:58 hrs IST: That's it. Sri Lanka finish on 338/6. Thirimanne remains unbeaten on 45. This is Sri Lanka's highest total against West Indies in ODIs. We'll be back in a short while.
18:49 hrs IST: OUT! Fernando hits in the air but doesn't get the distance and the fielder at long-on - Allen - completes a neat catch. First wicket for Cottrell. End of a splendid innings! Isuru Udana comes to the crease. Sri Lanka are 321/5 after 48 overs.
18:44 hrs IST: Double and that's a century for Fernando - maiden in ODIs. Great innings from the 21-year-old! Certainly a bright prospect for Sri Lanka. The whole team applauds his achievement.
18:38 hrs IST: FOUR! Full toss from Thomas, down leg, Fernando just helps it to the fine leg boundary. Sri Lanka are 304/4 after 46 overs. Fernando 97*, Thirimanne 30*
18:30 hrs IST: Just six off Thomas' eighth. Sri Lanka are 281/4 after 44 overs. Fernando 90*, Thirimanne 15*
18:24 hrs IST: SIX! Short ball from Cottrell, Fernando stands tall and pulls it powerfully over mid-wicket for a maximum. Sri Lanka are 275/4 after 43 overs. Fernando 86*, Thirimanne 14*
18:17 hrs IST: Eleven off the last two overs. Sri Lanka are 264/4 after 42 overs. Fernando 79*, Thirimanne 12*
18:09 hrs IST: Nice and tidy over from Holder. Gets the better of Mathews and gives away just three runs. Sri Lanka are 253/4 after 40 overs. Fernando 75*, Thirimanne 5*
18:02 hrs IST: SIX! Full from Allen, outside off, and Mathews lifts a shot over long off for a maximum. Sri Lanka are 247/3 after 39 overs. Fernando 74*, Mathews 26*
17:57 hrs IST: Expensive over from Holder, 11 off it. Sri Lanka are 235/3 after 38 overs. Fernando 73*, Mathews 15*
Sunil Ambris has gone off the field after injuring his ankle
17:51 hrs IST: Ten off Gabriel's fifth. In total, he has leaked 46. Sri Lanka are 224/3 after 37 overs. Fernando 69*, Mathews 9*.
17:41 hrs IST: A wicket and thirty-six runs off the last five overs. Sri Lanka are 209/3 after 35 overs. Fernando 61*, Mendis 3*
17:35 hrs IST: Five off Allen's sixth. Sri Lanka are 201/3 after 34 overs. Fernando 56*, Mathews 0*. Gabriel comes back into the attack.
17:29 hrs IST: FOUR! That's a half-century for Fernando - his first in this World Cup. What a performance! Fullish delivery from Allen and the Sri Lanka No. 3 plays it inside-out over extra cover. Sri Lanka are 196/3 after 33 overs.
17:22 hrs IST: OUT! Low full toss, Mendis looks to drive straight but Allen dives to his right to take a magnificent flying catch. Superman? Angelo Mathews comes to the crease. Time for drinks! Sri Lanka are 189/3 after 32 overs.
17:18 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length from Thomas, outside off, Fernando pulls it over the fielder at mid-wicket. Sri Lanka are 181/2 after 31 overs. Fernando 39*, Mendis 36*
17:11 hrs IST: FOUR! Too full from Thomas and Mendis flicks it to mid-wicket. Easy pickings! Sri Lanka are 170/2 after 29 overs. Mendis 34*, Fernando 30*
17:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Poor ball from Allen, on leg stump, Mendis gets down on one knee and sweeps it to fine leg. Sri Lanka are 164/2 after 28 overs. Mendis 29*, Fernando 29*. Thomas comes back into the attack.
16:59 hrs IST: Twenty-seven runs off the last 30 deliveries. Sri Lanka are 150/2 after 26 overs. Fernando 27*, Mendis 17*
16:53 hrs IST: Excellent over from Allen, only one off it. Sri Lanka are 142/2 after 24 overs. Fernando 23*, Mendis 13*
16:49 hrs IST: SIX! Short from Cottrell, Fernando gets into position early and creams it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. Eight off the over. Sri Lanka are 141/2 after 23 overs. Fernando 23*, Mendis 12*. Fabian Allen comes into the attack.
16:45 hrs IST: Twenty off the last 12 balls. Sri Lanka are 133/2 after 22 overs. Fernando 15*, Mendis 12*. Cottrell come back into the attack.
16:37 hrs IST: Eight off Holder's sixth. Sri Lanka are 113/2 after 20 overs. Fernando 5*, Mendis 2*
16:31 hrs IST: OUT! Terrible mix-up between Fernando and Perera leads to the run-out of the latter. There was no two there. Perera (64) was looking so good. Would be kicking himself. Pooran can breathe easy now. Kusal Mendis comes to the crease. Sri Lanka are 105/2 after 19 overs.
"It’s still hard to know what to think about this Pakistan team. The win over Afghanistan on Sunday was not the performance of champions and yet, somehow and some way, they are still in contention for a semi-final spot and you can never write them off." - Waqar Younis. Read his full column here
16:26 hrs IST: Nine off the last two overs. Pooran drops Perera at deep square leg. How costly will that prove to be? Sri Lanka are 103/1 after 18 overs. Brathwaite to continue.
16:18 hrs IST: Impressive over from Holder, a wicket and three runs. Sri Lanka are 94/1 after 16 overs. Perera 58*, Fernando 0*
16:12 hrs IST: OUT! Length delivery from Holder, angling away, Karunaratne looks to cut but it hits the toe-end of his bat and Hope does the rest behind the stumps. Avishka Fernando comes to the crease. Drinks are on the field now
16:08 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller ball from Brathwaite and Perera slogs it over mid-wicket. Another costly over from Brathwaite, 10 off it. Sri Lanka are 91/0 after 15 overs. Perera 58*, Karunaratne 30*
16:04 hrs IST: Single and that's a half-century for Perera - third of this World Cup and 14th overall. Back of a length from Holder, and he works it to the leg side for a single. Can he get a big one today? Sri Lanka are 81/0 after 14 overs.
16:00 hrs IST: Eight off Brathwaite's first six deliveies. Sri Lanka are 77/0 after 13 overs. Perera 49*, Karunaratne 25*
15:55 hrs IST: Twenty runs off the last 12 balls. Sri Lanka are 69/0 after 12 overs. Perera 42*, Karunaratne 24*. Carlos Brathwaite comes into the attack.
15:47 hrs IST: Tidy start from Holder, only two off it. Sri Lanka are 49/0 after 10 overs. Perera 26*, Karunaratne 20*
15:42 hrs IST: Fine over from Gabriel, four off it (one leg bye). Sri Lanka are 47/0 after 9 overs. Perera 25*, Karunaratne 19*. Another change. Jason Holder comes into the attack.
15:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Full and wide from Thomas and Karunaratne drives it over cover. Sri Lanka are 43/0 after 8 overs. Perera 22*, Karunaratne 19*
15:32 hrs IST: FOUR! Poor delivery from Gabriel, on Perera's pads, and he whips away to the fine leg boundary. Expensive over from Gabriel, 11 off it. Sri Lanka are 39/0 after 7 overs. Perera 22*, Karunaratne 15*
15:26 hrs IST: Impressive over from Thomas. It's a maiden! Sri Lanka are 28/0 after 6 overs. First change in bowling. Shannon Gabriel comes into the attack.
15:22 hrs IST: FOUR! Short of a length ball from Cottrell, Perers steps out and smacks it over mid-off. Shot! Sri Lanka are 28/0 after 5 overs. Karunaratne 14*, Perera 13*. Thomas to continue
15:18 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Thomas and Karunaratne hits it to the deep backward point boundary. Cottrell, the fielder at third man, attempt at saving the four but his effort goes in vain. Sri Lanka are 22/0 after 4 overs. Karunaratne 13*, Perera 8*
15:14 hrs IST: FOUR! Full delivery from Cottrell, on middle and leg, Karunaratne works it away through mid-wicket. Costly over from the West Indian, nine off it. Sri Lanka are 17/0 after 3 overs. Karunaratne 9*, Perera 7*
15:09 hrs IST: FOUR! Width on offer from Thomas, Perera hits it through the extra cover region for his first boundary. Sri Lanka are 8/0 after 2 overs. Perera 7*, Karunaratne 1*
15:04 hrs IST: Perera opens his account with a single towards deep square leg. Solid start from Cottrell. Sri Lanka are 2/0 after the first over. Oshane Thomas comes into the attack.
15:00 hrs IST: Time for live action. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera to open. Sheldon Cottrell, West Indies' highest wicket-taker (11) in the tournament, to begin the proceedings.
14:38 hrs IST: Playing XIs
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Kusal Perera(w), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha, Lasith Malinga
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Shannon Gabriel, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas
14:33 hrs IST: West Indies have won the toss and have opted to field
14:10 hrs IST: We'll have the all-important toss in 20 minutes. Meanwhile, India have suffered any injury setback - Vijay Shankar has been ruled out of the tournament.
13:48 hrs IST: Sheldon Cottrell will be the only player featuring in this fixture to have taken 10 or more wickets in the competition, and the paceman will be facing Sri Lanka for the first time.
13:40 hrs IST: BIG NUMBER - West Indies have lost their last five ODIs. The last time they lost more was an eight-game streak in 2017.
13:34 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - Sri Lanka have won five of their last six ODIs against West Indies, including a nail-biting one-run victory in their last meeting in November 2016.
13:20 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to Outlook's live coverage of the ICC World Cup 2019 encounter between former champions Sri Lanka and West Indies.
Sri Lanka's 20-run win over England had breathed life into their inconsistent campaign but a defeat against South Africa, in the very next game, hurt their semis chances. Sri Lanka could match England’s tally of 10 points by triumphing in their last two games against West Indies and India but would remain below hosts England due to less number of wins, which is the first tie-breaker used to separate teams.
In their nine-wicket loss to South Africa, Sri Lanka’s inconsistent batting came to the fore yet again and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne would look to improve on that aspect against a challenging West Indies bowling attack.
The Jason Holder-led side, on the other hand, will also look to finish on a high.
West Indies were tipped as a potential surprise package, especially after scoring 421 in a warm-up victory over New Zealand. They also started their World Cup campaign with a bang, demolishing Pakistan by seven wickets.
But since then, things have gone from bad to worse for the two-time champions. They have suffered five defeats. Though they have been impressive in parts, the side has failed to hold on to its nerves in tight games and ended up enduring heartbreaking losses.
"We had some frank discussions about the World Cup that we've had and we'll try to finish the tournament as a strong unit now," West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer had said after the loss to India.
"We are still playing for pride, we know that. People back home in the Caribbean are backing us and we are representing them here."
