West Indies once again lost a match that they could have won or had it within their grasp. Chasing a mammoth 339 for victory after Avishka Fernando's hundred and Kusal Perera's 64 guided Sri Lanka to their highest score in the tournament, West Indies were going strong at one point, with a century from Nicolas Pooran and 30 ball fifty by Fabian Allen, but the terrible mix-up that resulted in the run-out of Fabian turned the game into Sri Lanka's favour. Sri Lanka vs West Indies, ICC CWC 2019 Match Highlights: Nicholas Pooran Century in Vain As SL Beat WI by 23 Runs.
Lasith Malinga's three wicket-haul and Angelo Mathews dismissing centurion Nicholas Pooran at a crucial time restricted West Indies to 315/9 in 50 overs as Sri Lanka won the match by 23 runs. Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Full Scorecard.
Below Are Some Important Stats From the Match
1. Avishka Fernando, at 21 years and 87 days, became the third youngest player to hit a century in a world cup game. Paul Stirling (20 years, 196 days) and Ricky Pointing (21 years, 76 days) are number one and two.
2. Fernando also went ahead of Virat Kohli (22 years, 106 days) and Sachin Tendulkar (22 years, 300 days) in terms of age for first century in the world cup.
3. Avishka Fernando also became the third youngest Sri Lankan player to hit a century in the ODIs.
4. This was a rare match where two batsmen got their first hundred from different teams. Along with Avishka Fernando, Nicholas Pooran of West Indies also brought up his first ODI hundred.
5. If West Indies had chased down Sri Lanka's target of 338, it would have been the highest run-chase in world cup history. However, they fell 23 runs short in the end.
6. Sri Lanka scored their highest total of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. They hit 338/7 in 50 Overs.
After this victory, Sri Lanka have eight points from eight matches. The win has helped Sri Lanka reach the sixth spot on the points table. However, they have very slim chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the world cup. Rihanna Cheers For West Indies During SL vs WI, ICC CWC 2019 Match at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street; See Pic.
On the other hand, the West Indies are on the second last position of the points table after the loss to Sri Lanka. They have only three points from eight matches as they won only one match and shared points for ab abandoned game. The West Indies are out of the contentions for the semi-finals spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2019 01:19 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).