Darren Bravo
Darren Bravo’s fourth ODI century and half-centuries from Shai Hope, Kieron Pollard guided the West Indies to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka and a clean sweep of the three-match series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday.
Chasing a challenging target of 275, Bravo’s innings of 102 off 132 balls highlighted by five fours and four sixes followed by Shai Hope’s 64 and Pollard’s 53 off 42 at the end helped the visiting side to clinch the victory with nine balls to spare.
Sri Lanka, who made three changes to their team from the nail-biting loss in the second match two days earlier, fought to restrain a powerful West Indies batting line-up but in the end, they were undone by the home side’s wealth of talent and experience.
Captain Kieron Pollard ensured there was to be no late stumble despite Bravo’s dismissal to seamer Suranga Lakmal just before the end.
He finished unbeaten on 53, having featured in an 80-run fifth-wicket stand with Bravo and watched with contentment at the non-striker’s end as the man he replaced as skipper more than a year ago, Jason Holder, hoisted a six over wide long-on off Lakmal to formalize the result with nine balls to spare.
In sweeping the series 3-0, the West Indies reversed the result of the corresponding campaign in Sri Lanka 13 months earlier.
Pollard led the West Indies to a 2-1 T20 International series win at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, also in Antigua, a week earlier and now attention shifts to the two-match Test series starting next Sunday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Brief Score:
West Indies: 275/5 (Bravo 102, Hope 64, Pollard 53*)
Sri Lanka: 274/6 (Hasaranga 80*, Bandara 55*, Hosein 3-33)
Result: West Indies won by 5 wickets
ARR
