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Sri Lanka vs West Indies 1st T20I Full Commentary
Result · Jun 12 2026, Fri - 06:00 AM (IST)
WI 149/3 (19.2)
SL 147/9 (20.0)
West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets
CRR:7.71
Player Of The Match
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We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Brandon King and Shai Hope are the two openers for West Indies. Dilshan Madushanka to start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...
... THE RUN CHASE ...
West Indies ruled the roost - It was a top-tier bowling performance from the Men in Maroon, who never let the pressure slip. Jason Holder and Shamar Joseph were the chief destructors, breaking the spine of the Lankan batting unit with three wickets apiece, while Roston Chase chipped in with a tidy one-wicket spell. Restricting Sri Lanka to a below-par 147, the Windies will head into the dugout as the happier side at the innings break.
The pick of the bowlers for Windies - Jason Holder (3/18) says he feels it was a good bowling performance from the group, with the team sticking to their plans throughout. He says creating wicket-taking opportunities is something they always focus on, and even though the opposition got off to a strong start, they continued to back their strengths and look for breakthroughs. Holder mentions that understanding the conditions is key, especially with the pitch being a bit two-paced. According to him, the opening batters need to be clinical, as the longer they spend at the crease, the easier it will become to bat.
The rescue act - Just when things looked bleak, Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka joined forces to steady the ship. The duo weathered the storm, rotating the strike and putting away the loose balls. Shanaka played a handy cameo of 22 before walking back in the 16th over, but Kamindu anchored the innings beautifully, raising his bat for a gritty half-century to give his side a fighting chance.
Sri Lanka end their innings at 147/9! Sri Lanka got off to a disastrous start as the West Indies bowlers exploited the new ball, packing off three top-order batters inside the Powerplay. Kusal Mendis provided a brief spark with a crisp 36, but his dismissal in the 8th over threw a wrench in the scoring rates. With wickets tumbling at one end, the Lankans found themselves in a massive hole early in the innings.
OUT! CHAMEERA IS RUN OUT! Shamar Joseph follows the batter and serves this full, on leg, Eshan Malinga jams it out towards long on for a single. The throw comes in at the keeper's end but as this is the last ball, Malinga goes for the second but was never on. Chameera does not even see his partner and starts to walk back to the hut. Shai Hope collects the ball and throws it to Joseph, who takes the bails off at the bowler's end. Sri Lanka finish on 147/9!
Fuller and around off, Eshan Malinga backs away and carves it to sweeper cover for a brace.
OUT! KAMINDU MENDIS IS RUN OUT! Shamar Joseph bangs this into the pitch, on middle, takes off. Mendis goes mistimes his pull shot towards deep mid-wicket but he wants the strike and turns for the second. Matthew Forde gets to the ball quickly and throws it to the batter's end, where Shai Hope does the rest. The replay confirms that Mendis is well short of his crease, but he has played a fine knock for his team.
Pitched up and on middle and leg, Kamindu Mendis flicks it to deep square leg but does not take the run.
FIFTY FOR MENDIS! A gritty knock from him and when his team needed someone to step up. This is his 4th half-century in T20Is. Shamar Joseph bowls another yorker, on middle, Kamindu Mendis tucks it towards deep mid-wicket and turns around for the second run. The throw from the deep is well wide of the keeper, which gives the chance to Mendis to make his ground with a dive.
Gets the yorker right, on middle and off, Kamindu Mendis looks to play the reverse scoop but toe-ends it towards cover.
Can Shamar Joseph keep Sri Lanka under 150 here?
Bangs this into the pitch, around off, gets some extra bounce, Dushmantha Chameera takes a couple of steps out to pull it away but fails to connect. Jason Holder finishes a superb spell of bowling with figures of 4-0-18-3.
Nails the yorker, on middle, Kamindu Mendis jams it out to long on for one.
A full toss, on leg, Dushmantha Chameera clips it to deep square leg for a single.
Another one bites the dust. Dushmantha Chameera comes out to the middle now.
OUT! CAUGHT! Worst possible result for Sri Lanka. Jason Holder rolls his fingers to take pace off, full and on middle, holds up in the surface. Maheesh Theekshana looks to slog it away but has to wait for it and ends up hitting it from the bottom half of the bat. It goes high in the air towards long on, where Rovman Powell runs a bit to his right and takes a good catch with his fingers pointing towards the sky.
Back of a length and around off, takes pace off, Maheesh Theekshana slashes at it but way too early and misses. Mendis is still stranded at the other end.
Good length and around off, Maheesh Theekshana pushes it towards short cover, where Roston Chase quickly gets to the ball to stop the single.
Who bowls the 19th? It will be Jason Holder.
On a length and on middle, Maheesh Theekshana works it through mid-wicket for one.
Pitched up and around off, Maheesh Theekshana drills it towards point.
The next batter in is Maheesh Theekshana.
OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Shamar Joseph gets his third now. He hits the length heard at 144 clicks, just outside off. Wanindu Hasaranga backs away and slashes at it, but only manages to get a thin outside edge due to the extra bounce. It flies behind, where Shai Hope makes no mistake. Sri Lanka are 138/6 now.
Not Out! This is a fine yorker, on middle and leg, tailing in late. Kamindu Mendis gets late on his flick and the ball hits his boot on the full. A big shout for LBW, but it is turned down. Shai Hope takes the review as this one looks close. However, Ball Tracking goes against them with impact on umpire's call. Mendis survives.
Is that out? West Indies have taken a review for LBW, not given on the field. UltraEdge confirms no bat involved. Ball Tracking shows that impact is umpire's call and the original call stays.
On a length and on off, Wanindu Hasaranga backs away and guides it to point for a run.
Hard length and around middle and leg, Kamindu Mendis nudges it through mid-wicket for a single.
Shamar Joseph comes back into the attack now.
One down, two to go - That brings us to the end of this game, with West Indies taking an early lead in the series and now looking to seal it in the next match. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be eager to bounce back and force a decider to keep the contest alive. We will be back at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday, 14th June for the 2nd T20I. The action begins at 12.30 am GMT, but make sure to join us early for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye!
The victorious skipper of West Indies - Shai Hope says that the pitch was pretty challenging as it had an uneven bounce. He adds that their bowlers did the job well and made use of those pace off deliveries. Hope reckons that this win gives them confidence and ends by saying that they trust the process and they are happy with the win.
The captain of Sri Lanka - Kusal Mendis says losing three wickets in the Powerplay wasn't ideal, which is why they struggled during the middle overs. Adds that Kamindu and Dasun Shanaka batted really well to get them to a fighting total. Mendis shares that they struggled with the ball in the Powerplay as well, but it was good to see the bowlers come back and stretch the game to the last over.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Jason Holder wins the award for his excellent bowling spell of 3/18. He says that he just tried to be consistent. He took a good look at the pitch and tried to bowl at good lengths. Holder reckons that after getting two wickets in two balls, they got the upper hand in the game. He further says that he tries to understand the opposition and the conditions, and ends by saying that he also tries to learn from his mistakes.
Presentation Time...
Not enough on the board - Sri Lanka needed early breakthroughs and thought they had one through Dushmantha Chameera, only for an overstepping to bring King back to life, a chance they would dearly regret as he went on to make them pay. Wanindu Hasaranga provided a brief spark with a couple of wickets in the middle overs, but with too few runs on the board, Sri Lanka were always fighting an uphill battle. They deserve credit for stretching the game deep into the final over, although Roston Chase's struggles did help keep the contest alive. Still, there were positives for Sri Lanka to carry forward.
Sri Lanka stumble after fast start - Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka got off to a strong start, with the openers racing to 39 in four overs, but the momentum quickly faded as they slipped to 65/4. Skipper Kusal Mendis provided some resistance with a quick 36 off 23 balls before falling as the fourth wicket, while the 59-run stand between Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka helped revive the innings. Kamindu brought up a fine fifty, though Sri Lanka could not find the late acceleration they needed. It was a clinical bowling effort from West Indies, with Jason Holder leading the way with 3/18, while Shamar Joseph also picked up three wickets and Roston Chase chipped in with one.
Hope shines as hosts complete the job - Chasing a modest total, West Indies could have taken their time, but the openers came out with intent as Brandon King and Shai Hope kept the scoreboard moving from the start. King got an early life and made Sri Lanka pay, as the pair raced to 66 in the Powerplay, all but taking the game away. King couldn't convert his start, while Shimron Hetmyer added a quick cameo to keep the momentum going. Hope, meanwhile, anchored the chase brilliantly and brought up a superb fifty. Roston Chase struggled for timing, managing just 16 off 25 balls, and on another day against a bigger total, that could have created pressure. However, Hope and Rovman Powell ensured there were no late hiccups, guiding West Indies comfortably over the line with four balls to spare.
Windies draw first blood - West Indies have drawn first blood in the series with a superb all-round performance. Apart from the opening few overs, they were in control for most of the contest and fully deserved the win. It did get a little close for comfort towards the end, but they held their nerve and got the job done. After the frustration of two washed-out ODIs, the crowd at Sabina Park finally got a full game to enjoy, and the home side made sure their fans went home with plenty to celebrate.
SIX! Rovman Powell finishes off in style! A half volley, on off, Rovman Powell stays in his crease and clatters it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets.
A full toss, on off, Shai Hope knocks it down the ground for a single.
Brilliant over from Dushmantha Chameera. 6 needed from the final over now. Dilshan Madushanka to bowl the final over. Can Sri Lanka pull off a miracle?
Good length, on off, Shai Hope chips it towards wide of long off for a single.
Much fuller, outside off, Rovman Powell steers it through cover-point for just a single.
Shai Hope finally gets a single. A yorker, on off, Shai Hope digs it to backward point for a single.
Three dots in a row. Hard length, on off, Shai Hope drives it to the cover fielder. 9 runs needed from 9 balls now.
Another dot. Slows it up, outside off, Shai Hope swings hard but misses.
Hard length, on off, Shai Hope looks to flick it but gets an inside edge onto his pads. The ball rolls to the right of the keeper. Dot.
9 runs needed from the final 2 overs now. Dushmantha Chameera comes into the attack.
A full toss, on off, Shai Hope knocks it down the ground for a single.
FOUR! Streaky but that will ease pressure! Short, on off, Shai Hope looks to pull it but gets a top edge. The ball flies over the keeper's head for a boundary.
A low full toss, outside off, Rovman Powell drives it to cover for a single.
Wide! Sways it down leg, Rovman Powell looks to flick it but misses.
Short, on leg, Shai Hope pulls it to deep square leg for a single.
A full toss, on leg, Shai Hope taps it back to the bowler.
Much fuller, on leg, Rovman Powell flicks it to mid-wicket for a single.
Wide! A wayward bouncer, on leg, Rovman Powell leaves. Wide called.
19 runs needed from the final 3 overs now. Dilshan Madushanka is back on.
Much fuller, on off, Rovman Powell chips it on the bounce towards long on for a single.
An appeal but nothing from the umpire. A yorker, on leg, Rovman Powell looks to flick it but misses as the ball hits his boot. An appeal for lbw, but nothing from the umpire. Eshan Malinga sends it upstairs to have a check. Ultra Edge shows no spike. Ball Tracking shows that it was missing leg. The onfield decision stands NOT OUT.