Fri Feb 20 ’26 by KRISSANIA YOUNG
Sri Lanka 240 for 6 (Samarawickrama 66, Perera 61; Matthews 2-46) beating West Indies 230 all out (Taylor 66, Glasgow 50; Ranaweera 4-44) by 10 runs
West Indies suffered a 10-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the first One Day International (ODI) at the Grenada National Stadium on Friday. The teams put in contrasting displays of top class, with the Caribbean side’s slow start proving damaging.
Despite a new opening partnership, it was a familiar battle with the new ball for the West Indies. The Caribbean side once again failed to find early penetration, with Hasini Perera and captain Chamari Athapaththu sharing a 49-run stand for the first wicket. The breakthrough came in the 12th when Hayley Matthews (4/46) had her counterpart, Athapaththu, caught for 27.
Harshitha Samarawickrama joined Perera, and the pair would top score for the visiting team, with 86 for the second wicket before Aaliyah Alleyne accounted for Perera (61), with Sri Lanka 135 for 2 in the 32nd.
Samarawickrama was again involved in a half-century stand, this time with an even fifty with Nilakshika Silva for the third wicket. West Indies responded with a double attack as Matthews followed Samarawickrama’s stumping (66) at the end of Karishma Ramharack’s 42nd over by trapping Silva lbw for 22 to start the 43rd.
A run-a-ball 38-run partnership between Kavisha Dilhari (22) and Vishmi Gunaratne (16*), along with 13 runs from the last over of the innings, helped Sri Lanka to 240 from their allocation.
West Indies lost openers Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph for identical scores of 13, restricted to 28 for 2 in the first 8 overs of the chase. The hosts managed just 52 runs in the three partnerships that followed, losing Shemaine Campbelle (12), Chinelle Henry (1) and Deandra Dottin (14) cheaply.
Stafanie Taylor, batting at No. 4, finally found a partner in Jannillea Glasgow, and the pair shared an 89-run sixth-wicket stand that threatened Sri Lanka’s control of proceedings. Taylor was bowled out for a top score of 66 via a direct hit from Malki Madara with West Indies 169 for 6 in the 40th.
When Glasgow (50) fell victim to Inoka Ranaweera (4/44), West Indies needed 59 runs from 50 balls. A 9-ball 13 from Shawnisha Hector kept the hosts’ momentum going for a 32-run (33-ball) partnership between Aaliyah Alleyne and Afy Fletcher, making the equation 18 off 12 with two wickets to spare. The order proved too big for the West Indies, who were bowled out for 230 in 49.4 overs.
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