West Indies made a slow but solid start on another sluggish Kensington Oval pitch after winning the toss in the second match of this series. Needing to win after their 55-run defeat in the opening match, they were 99 for 1 after 25 overs. It could have been much worse for the West Indies, as both Brian Lara and Chris Gayle were given let-offs by umpire Billy Bowden.
West Indies begun circumspectly, scoring just five runs in the first five overs. Chaminda Vaas and Prabath Nissanka, the heroes for Sri Lanka in the first match, plugged away accurately. But although there was some movement with the new ball, off the pitch for Nissanka and through the air for Vaas, there was not the extravagant swing witnessed on Saturday afternoon.
Helped by some ragged ground fielding, the West Indies started to score more freely. But Wavell Hinds (10) did not settle against Vaas and in the 11th over he was trapped lbw (30 for 1). Brian Lara returned to the pivotal No. 3 position, and should also have returned to the pavilion third ball, as Bowden missed a clear inside edge in the same over.
Gayle, also unsure against the left-arm swing of Vaas, kick-started the West Indies innings. Nissanka was clobbered for a six over point and flicked twice to the leg-side boundary, as 16 runs flooded from the over. That prompted a change in the bowling, but Gayle maintained the momentum, pulling an early boundary off Kumar Dharmasena.
Muttiah Muralitharan entered the attack in the 17th over. He started with a tight first over and was denied a wicket in his second, as Gayle, on 39, edged an ungainly sweep onto his pad and Mahela Jayawardene took a simple catch at first slip. But, once again, Bowden ruled not out.
Gayle's good fortune continued as Romesh Kaluwitharana spilled a straightforward catch in Upul Chandana's first over. By the mid-innings point, Gayle and Lara had added 69 runs for the second wicket. Gayle reached his 18th one-day fifty in the 25th over and celebrated with his second six. He was looking ominous on 57 from 87 balls. Lara was undefeated on 23.
Earlier, both teams had made changes. West Indies dropped David Bernard, who bowled just two overs of medium pace and failed with the bat in the first match, for Ryan Hurley, an offspinning allrounder playing his third match. Sri Lanka decided to play three specialist spinners, replacing Dharshana Gamage with Chandana.
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