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West Indies 236 for 2 (Hope 110, Lewis 65, Chameera 2-50) beat Sri Lanka 232 (Gunathilaka 55, Karunaratne 53, Bandara 50, Mohammed 2-12, Holder 2-39) by eight wickets
Antigua: Sri Lanka slumped after opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka was given out for obstructing the field and lost by eight wickets to the West Indies on Wednesday in the first one-day international.
Gunathilaka made 55 and put on 105 in an opening stand with captain Dimuth Karunaratne, which seemed to put Sri Lanka on course to a commanding total after it lost the toss and had been sent in.
Karunaratne was out for 52, caught and bowled by West Indies captain Kieron Powell with his second delivery.
The match became ill-tempered when, in the 21st over, Gunathilaka was judged to have obstructed the field when he trod on the ball while Powell was attempting to affect a run out.
Powell bowled a short ball which Gunathilaka fended away. Pathum Nissanka set off for a single but Gunathilaka, after advancing down the pitch, sent him back and stepped back into his own crease. As he did so, he stepped on the ball and knocked it backwards.
Pollard immediately appealed and on-field umpire Joe Wilson gave a soft signal of out before television umpire Nigel Guguid ruled that Gunathilaka had deliberately attempted to foil the run out. There seemed to be little evidence the batsman had acted deliberately.
The Sri Lanka innings lost its way from then on and the tourists were all out for 232 in 49 overs. The West Indies surpassed that total with Shai Hope making 110 and his opening partner Evin Lewis making 65.
Pollard acknowledged the dismissal of the Sri Lanka openers in quick succession with the total 105, and 112, changed the course of the innings and the match. Angelo Mathews (5) followed at 119 and Nissanka (8) when Sri Lanka was 126-4.
A half century by Ashen Bandara lifted the Sri Lanka total but he lacked support. Dinesh Chandimal (12) and Lakshan Sandakan who was left 16 not out were the only other Sri Lanka batsmen to reach double figures.
They were 100 without loss and we were looking at a chase of 300, Pollard said. We thought we needed to up the intensity in the field. They lost a couple of wickets and it started the slide
Pollard praised Hopes match-winning innings.
For us in white ball cricket Hope is the guy, he said. Hes been given a role and he gives us the foundation and others can bat around him.
