West Indies v Sri Lanka 1995-96

At Port-of-Spain, April 13. Sri Lanka won by 35 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka. The appeal of the new world champions attracted the biggest crowd of the season, estimated at 20,000, to Queen's Park. They were disappointed by a limp West Indian batting performance, on a pitch that encouraged the spinners, but not by the confident all-round cricket of the Sri Lankans, who batted with flair and whose fielders and wicket-keeper supported their bowlers with athletic efficiency. As they did so frequently in the World Cup, Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana began with a withering assault on the fast bowling, scoring 67 in just 6.2 overs. The West Indian spinners separated them and checked the scoring rate, but 251 was a challenging total. A third-wicket stand of 116 between Lara and Simmons regained some ground after the early loss of both openers but, after Dharmasena dismissed Lara, West Indies never looked like making it.