Joseph steers West Indies to victory

Tino Best celebrates © Digicel

Sylvester Joseph, with an unbeaten 53, led the West Indies to a two wicket win over a Kandy XI in their only warm-up game before the Indian Oil one-day Series in Sri Lanka.

Batting first, the Kandy XI made 129 for 8 from 30 overs in a game reduced by 20 overs as a result of the wet Asgiriya International Stadium outfield. West Indies faltered in the middle and were 69 for 5, but eventually got home, scoring 131 for 8 from 28.2 overs.

West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul won the toss and offered the Kandy XI first strike and they started on the backfoot - primarily as a result of some searing pace from Tino Best (3 for 14) and a restrictive line from both Kerry Jeremy (2 for 24) and Deighton Butler (1 for 19).

Best's missiles regularly left the batsmen fending and feeling but Jeremy and Butler, who replaced Best from the northern end, got the first two wickets. Right-handers Arosha Perera (30) and captain Chanaka Wijesinghe (28) then added 50 runs for the third wicket taking the score to 82 before Perera left after his 56-ball knock which included a lone six .

Runako Morton picked up two wickets with consecutive deliveries with the score on 114. He bowled both Wijesinghe and Kosala Kilasekara with his bustling medium pace. Best also had a double strike to end the innings. With his last two deliveries, the pacer bowled Duncan Arnolda and PD Ranawaka to top the bowling.

The West Indies were constrained early in their chase by some healthy swing bowling aided by the overcast conditions. The score laboured to 8 for 3 with Runako Morton (1), who opened the innings, Ryan Ramdass (2) and captain Chanderpaul (0) all back in the hut. All three were caught behind, Morton going first to Akalanka Ganegama and Ramdass and Chanderpaul falling to consecutive deliveries from Vidana Pathirana.

The right-arm pacer produced a vicious delivery first up to Chanderpaul which sharply jagged back at the left hander, brushed the bat and wicketkeeper DK Ranaweera gloved a sharp low catch, diving to his right.

Joseph and Ricardo Powell, who joined the squad for the ODIs, then restored the innings, adding 41 for the fourth wicket before Powell was bowled for 13 from 27 deliveries. Joseph struck six fours and one enormous straight six from 62 deliveries. Narsingh Deonarine made 12 then made way for a 51 run partnership between Joseph and Dwayne Smith which sealed the game for the Windies.

Smith crashed one six and two fours in a run-a-ball 27. The natural power-hitter was then deceived by a slower ball from Arnolda and was lbw to leave the score 120 for 6 but the Windies lost two further wickets, Denesh Ramdin and Butler both for ducks, before Best smashed a boundary to end the proceedings.

Windies play their first ODI on Sunday against India at Dambulla, one day after India clash with host team Sri Lanka.