Nicholas Pooran’s century was not enough as West Indies failed to chase down Sri Lanka’s target of 339 in Monday’s World Cup match. The 23-year-old held the Windies’ innings together with 118, but it was not enough as the men from the Caribbean ended on 315-9 and so lost by 23 runs.
Sri Lanka’s 338-6 was founded on Avishka Fernando’s superb 104, with solid contributions throughout the line-up in Durham. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne made 32, while Kusal Perera was going well on 64 before he was run out. Kusal Mendis chipped in with 39, while Angelo Mathews hit a rapid 26, and Lahiru Thirimanne finished things off with a flourish, ending unbeaten on 45 from just 33 deliveries.
It always looked a tough chase for Windies and when they slipped to 84-4, with Chris Gayle gone for 35, it seemed the writing was on the wall. Pooran looked in excellent form during his ton and was well supported by Fabian Allen, whose 51 came from 32 balls, but they ran out of steam and fell just short.
