Debutants sparkle as West Indies dominate

Nov 16, 2016

Sent in to bat, West Indies lost both openers by the 10th over, with Nuwan Kulasekara running Kraigg Brathwaite out in unusual circumstances, with the batsman's bat getting stuck in the turf short of the crease•AFP

Shai Hope, on debut, scored 47 and added 49 with Lewis, but their partnership went at a run rate of 3.67 with both batsmen struggling to rotate the strike •AFP

And Rovman Powell, another debutant, biffed 44 off 29, setting West Indies up nicely for the slog overs•AFP

Sri Lanka lost wickets steadily, and were 79 for 6 before Sachith Pathirana and Shehan Jayasuriya revived them with a 60-run seventh-wicket stand. Jayasuriya made 31•AFP

West Indies wrapped up a 62-run, bonus-point win. It was their first ODI win away from home since the 2015 World Cup•AFP

Coming in at No. 3, Evin Lewis scored 27•AFP

The spinners played their part in keeping the run rate down. Shehan Jayasuriya, for instance, conceded 19 in his four overs•AFP

But Sri Lanka's seamers ensured there would be no late blitz, as West Indies lost their last five wickets for 18 runs to get bowled out for 227•AFP

And Pathirana scored 45, before holing out against Ashley Nurse's offspin•AFP

Jonathan Carter gave the run rate a fillip by scoring 54 off 62 balls•AFP

It didn't look too big a total, but there was seam movement and bounce available from the Harare Sports Club surface. Jason Holder exploited it brilliantly in an opening spell of 5-0-12-2•AFP

Nurse, playing his first ODI, finished with figures of 3 for 46, completing an excellent day for West Indies' three debutants•AFP