Sri Lanka weather West Indies storm

2012 runners-up through to World Twenty20 final.


Afp April 03, 2014
The 27-run win was sweet revenge for Sri Lanka who lost the 2012 final to the West Indies in Colombo. PHOTO: AFP

DHAKA:


Sri Lanka reached the final of the World Twenty20 with a 27-run win over the West Indies, the defending champions, after their semi-final was ended by rain on Thursday.


Set a challenging 161-run target, the West Indies were well short on the Duckworth-Lewis method when a thunderstorm stopped play after 13.5 overs at the Shere Bangla stadium in Dhaka.

West Indies, who would have needed 108 to win on the D/L method, were 80 for four when play was halted.

The win was sweet revenge for Sri Lanka who lost the 2012 final to the West Indies in Colombo.

Sri Lanka will face the winners of the second semi-final between 2007 champions India and South Africa, also in Dhaka on Friday.

Dwayne Bravo hit a 19-ball 30 studded with three boundaries and a six to take the fight to the Sri Lankan bowlers who took three wickets in the space of nine runs after the West Indies had reached 25 for nought in the fifth over.

Spearhead Lasith Malinga, who was leading Sri Lanka after their captain Dinesh Chandimal opted out due to lack of form, dismissed danger man Chris Gayle (three) and Dwayne Smith (17) in his second over.

Leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna had Lendl Simmons lbw (four) to leave the West Indies struggling at 34 for three before Bravo and Marlon Samuels (18 not out) added 43 for the fourth wicket.

Bravo was smartly caught in the deep by Mahela Jayawardene off Nuwan Kulasekara and three balls later the rain arrived in the aftermath of strong winds.

When Sri Lanka batted after winning the toss, Lahiru Thirimanne top-scored with a career best 35-ball 44, Tillakaratne Dilshan made a run-a-ball 39 and Angelo Mathews a fiery 23-ball 40.

Mathews hit two sixes and three boundaries to give the innings much-needed impetus before he fell off the last delivery.

Thirimanne hit three boundaries and two sixes.

Sri Lanka had raced to 41 in the fourth over thanks to Dilshan and Kusal Perera (26), before they lost three wickets in the space of 15 balls.

Perera, who hit two fours and as many sixes off 12 balls, was bowled by Santokie before Jayawardene was run out without facing a delivery.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2014.

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