{
    "id": "154345",
    "author": "26",
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    "title": "West Indies Beat Sri Lanka By 5 Wickets In First T20I",
    "lang": "en",
    "series": "1",
    "cup_year": "2024",
    "article_type": "General",
    "excerpt": "West Indies beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first T20 on Sunday.",
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    "editor1": "<p>A breathtaking display of power-hitting from Brandon King and Evin Lewis propelled the West Indies to a commanding five-wicket victory in the first T20 against Sri Lanka on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-livescore\/scorecard\/13071999343\/west-indies-tour-of-sri-lanka-1\">SCORECARD<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The West Indies smashed the target of 180 with five balls in hand, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&quot;It&#39;s always important when you come to Sri Lanka to take an early lead, we know that Sri Lanka is a team that play excellent cricket at home,&quot; said West Indies skipper Rovman Powell.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>He said it was key to &quot;throw the first punch&quot;, and then, &quot;once you get on top, you try to stay on top for as long as possible&quot;.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The run chase began with fireworks, as the duo of King and Lewis amassed 74 runs within a six-over powerplay, putting Sri Lanka on the defensive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>King was the first to reach his half-century, elegantly carving a cover drive for four off Matheesha Pathirana.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>His 50 came off just 25 balls, while Lewis followed shortly, needing only 27 deliveries for his half-century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&quot;My role was to get the team off to a good start -- and it came off well&quot;, King said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Together, King and Lewis added 107 runs in just nine overs for the opening wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was the highest partnership for West Indies against Sri Lanka in T20 cricket for any wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The partnership was eventually broken when Pathirana deceived Lewis with a slower ball, the batsman edging it to Chamindu Wickramasinghe at backward point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>King went on to top-score with a blazing 63 off 33 balls, including 11 fours and a six.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>- &#39;Playing good cricket&#39; -<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>With the openers setting up the chase, the middle order merely had to rotate the strike, picking singles and taking calculated risks to seal the win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Sri Lanka attempted to claw back by picking up a few wickets, but the damage inflicted by the opening pair left the hosts in a near-impossible position.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>All-rounder Roston Chase and captain Powell steadied the innings, contributing 32 runs for the fourth wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Powell fell for 13 in the 17th over, mistiming a straight six attempt off Maheesh Theekshana to Wanindu Hasaranga at long-on.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Chase departed for 19, caught behind off Pathirana, but the job was nearly complete.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Despite torrential rain threatening to wash out play, the ground staff&#39;s swift efforts allowed the game to proceed after a 30-minute delay.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Earlier, half-centuries by Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka had lifted Sri Lanka to a seemingly competitive 179, with the pair sharing an 82-run stand off 54 balls for the fourth wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>However, it proved insufficient against the explosive West Indian openers, who dismantled Sri Lanka&#39;s bowling attack.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&quot;Whatever we did today it didn&#39;t work out for us, but we will come back after addressing a&nbsp;few issues,&quot; skipper Asalanka said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&quot;The plus point for us is that we are playing good cricket.&quot;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The West Indies are third in the global T20 rankings, while Sri Lanka languishes in eighth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Also Read: <\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/tagging\/highest-tax-paying-cricketers\">Highest tax paying cricketers<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The remaining two T20s of the series, also at Dambulla, will be played on October 15 and 17, before the teams head to Pallekele for a three-match ODI series.<\/p>\r\n",
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    "seo_title": "West Indies Beat Sri Lanka By 5 Wickets In First T20I On Cricketnmore",
    "seo_desc": "A breathtaking display of power-hitting from Brandon King and Evin Lewis propelled the West Indies to a commanding five-wicket victory in the first T20 against Sri Lanka on Sunday.",
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    "created": "2024-10-14 08:37:06",
    "updated": "2024-10-14 09:32:03",
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