Sri Lanka and West Indies will face off in the second ODI of the ongoing series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, in Kandy, on Wednesday, October 23.
Match overview:
Sri Lanka will be very confident after their brilliant win in the 1st ODI of the series. The host will look forward to winning the game and seal the series to avoid the deciding tension.
Talking about the host, the Sri Lanka side, they showed a dominating performance in the 1st ODI of the series, with Charith Asalanka making the statement. The skipper scored 77 runs off 71 deliveries as he hit 8 boundaries and 3 sixes in his knock. If that wasn’t enough the skipper chipped in with the bowl as well taking 1 wicket in his quota of 10 overs, giving away 56 runs.
The opener Nishan Madushka also scored 69 runs, making a great impression of a big total from the get go.
With the bowl, it was Lanka’s spinners who kept the West Indies batter on the back foot.
Hasaranga took 2 wickets for just 18 while Jeffery took one for 45.
The Sri Lankan team will look forward to putting up a great performance again in the upcoming second ODI of the series. Besides Asalanka, the hopes will be on Kamindu Mendis too who scored a crucial knock of 30 runs in the 1st ODI. The batter has been in some great form in the recent past and proven to be a revelation for his side.
Talking about the West Indies side,they have played an awful brand of cricket after winning the 1st T20. Since then they have not been on par and showed dull performances which was visible in the 1st ODI as well.
It is evident that the side is missing their main players like Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hosein, who opted out from the series citing personal reasons.
Nevertheless, Brandon King will have to step up in the second ODI and so does Shai Hope. Rutherford played a great knock and the visitors will hope for more of these in the upcoming games.
Alzarri Joseph was brilliant with the bowl and Motie bowled great too. But the West Indies lack great spinners and it is one of the reasons their bowling performance has been suffering.
Pitch and weather report:
The pitch at Pallekele tends to support batters as the average score is 251. So, a captain who wins the toss will look to bat first. The spinners may get assistance from the pitch later on but it may be a tough day for pacers.
Probable XI:
Sri Lanka:
Nishan Madushka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando.
West Indies:
Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope (wk/c), Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Hayden Walsh, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph.
Head-to-head:
Sri Lanka and West Indies have played 66 games in ODI format against each other. Sri Lanka have won 32 games while West Indies stood victorious in 31.
Prediction:
Sri Lanka are favourites to win the game as they boast a strong spin attack. Their batters are also in very good form, which will help boost their chances.
Where to Watch:
Sri Lanka: Supreme TV, Ten Cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket’s YouTube
West Indies: Rush Sports
Bangladesh: T Sports
MENA and rest of Asia: Cricbuzz
Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport
Pakistan: Ten Sports, Tapmad
India: FanCode App, Sony LIV
