Sri Lanka vs West Indies, 1st ODI at Kandy, Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Oct 20 2024 - Match Result

11.15pm Well, the series has started well for the hosts, although the weather today may be a troubling indicator for the two remaining matches. Sri Lanka bowled well, fielded well and then batted really well to claim the win. West Indies were good in patches, but not nearly consistently enough through the game to make this a close contest. Madushka's report will be in shortly, so you can get a detailed recap of the action there. That's all from us today. Tune in for the second ODI on Wednesday! On behalf of Madushka, Ranjith and Thilak, this is Abhimanyu signing off. Take care and bye bye!

11.10pm Time for the presentation ceremony.

The Sri Lanka captain is also the player of the match! Here's what Charith Asalanka has to say: "It was a convincing win. Guys played very well. And there was something in the weather for our side. [On his knock] My plan was to attack positively with spinning conditions. [On the wet ball] Yeah for more than 15 overs we had a chance, and they couldn't bowl well and Nishan and I did well. [On Madushka replacing Nissanka and doing well] Yeah, he played well, and for me and the coach it creates a headache. A positive one."

West Indies skipper Shai Hope: "[On the weather] It's something we can't control. Yes it's challenging conditions, but we have to do better next time. We were showing good intent in the back-end of the innings. Sherfane played a wonderful knock. We have to take a leaf out of his book."

11pm Mendis had his arms raised in celebration before the ball landed. He knew he had sealed the win. Excellent chase this was from Sri Lanka. Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama played some aggressive cameos, and after they fell, a 137-run stand between Asalanka and debutant Nishan Madushka ensured they won the game. Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis ensured the late wickets of the two half-centurions did not cause any slip-ups. A professional display. Motie and Alzarri bowled well, but in the end, they did not have enough support from the other bowlers. Madushka was especially impressive, standing in for Sri Lanka's star opener Nissanka, who was missing with injury. Of course, Hasaranga and Vandersay had left West Indies in a tangle earlier after West Indies chose to bat, before Rutherford and Chase threatened to finish strong for them before rain set in and shortened the game. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony coming up shortly.

Grary: "Moral Victory is acceptable when a new/upcoming team goes against a really strong side and end up losing even after putting them under pressure. Not to be used as a lame excuse when your team doesn't do well. Just saying.."