West Indies ease to 40-run win

West Indies women 167 (King 70, Weerakkody 3-26, de Alwis 3-33) beat Sri Lanka women 127 (Taylor 3-10, Fletcher 3-21)
Scorecard

West Indies made the perfect start to their tour of Sri Lanka with a win in the first ODI in Dambulla. Stacy Ann-King laid the foundation with her 70 and offspinners Afy Fletcher and Stefanie Taylor shared six wickets between them to ensure a comfortable 40-run win.

Sri Lankan captain Shashikala Siriwardene looked to have made the correct decision to field first, as Sripali Weerakkody struck in the second over, trapping Deandra Dottin leg-before. Chamani Seneviratna then removed Juliana Nero as West Indies were reduced to 27 for 2 in the seventh over.

As King held up one end, a steady trickle of wickets at the other saw West Indies struggle at 50 for 5. Weerakkody was the wrecker-in-chief picking up three wickets during the collapse.

Useful stand with Danielle Small and Kiribyina Alexander saw King guiding the team to relative safety at 136, bringing up her half-century in the process.

However, left-arm spinner Suwini de Alwis ensured there was no fightback by removing Alexander, Anisa Mohammed and King in three successive overs. King hit eight fours and two sixes in her 100-ball innings.

It was Shanel Daley's unbeaten 16 that helped West Indies to cross the 150-mark and finally finish on 167.

Openers Dedunu Silva and Chamari Polgampola gave Sri Lanka a good start to their chase, but Fletcher dismissed Silva with 39 on the board; Siriwardene followed 12 runs later.

Polgampola and Hiruka Fernando then looked to rebuild the innings, putting on 40 for the second wicket. But a dramatic collapse was to follow.

Polgmapola was out lbw to Mohammed, who again struck in her next over, getting Fernando caught and bowled with the score 94 for 4. Taylor accounted for de Alwis and Eshani Kaushalya in successive balls as the momentum swung back in favour of the visitors.

Taylor bowled Weerakoddy to end with figures of 8-2-10-3 as West Indies closed in on victory. Fletcher took the final wicket of Dilani Manodara to finish with 3 for 21 and wrap up the win, as Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 18 runs.