KINGSTON, Jamaica – A sensational bowling effort from Shamar Joseph along with punctuated flamboyance with the bat, ensured the West Indies completed a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka in their three-match T20 International series at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica over the weekend.
Joseph etched his name into the record books by becoming the first West Indian to claim 11 wickets in a three-match T20I series and only the second bowler in history, behind Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, to achieve the feat.
The Guyanese fast bowler was at his impressive best throughout the series with speeds upwards of 140 kilometers per hour to trouble the Sri Lankan batters.
Joseph found himself on a hat trick during the series decider to reduce the visitors to 51 for 3 inside the powerplay.
He finished with career best figures of 5 for 33 with three wickets in the final over including the threatening Dunith Wellalage for 43 to dismiss Sri Lanka for 169 off their 20 overs.
Joseph was elated with his performance especially contributing significantly to a series win.
“”It’s exciting for me, my first five-wicket haul in T20s, couldn’t ask for anything better. Also, a match-winning series for our West Indies team and especially for Jamaica,” Joseph expressed. “The captain always says, always be ready to come and bowl. So, you just have to be ready to come and execute and be ready to go again. 11 wickets in a series, couldn’t ask for better.”
Having secured a convincing seven-wicket victory in the opening match of the series, the West Indies suffered a 37-run defeat in the second encounter. However, they remained determined to seize the opportunity to claim a home series victory.
Despite losing captain Shai Hope with just one run on the board, an aggressive 51-run second-wicket partnership between Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer helped steady the innings. The visitors responded with a burst of quick wickets, reducing the hosts to a precarious 53 for 4.
With the chase in danger, Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford rebuilt the innings through the middle overs. The pair then launched a counterattack, putting together an explosive partnership of 81 runs from just 46 balls to swing momentum firmly in the home side’s favour.
Powell, who became the West Indies’ all-time leading run-scorer in T20 Internationals during the second match, delighted his home crowd with three sixes and a four. Rutherford was equally impressive, blasting four sixes and three fours in an unbeaten 54 from 40 deliveries.
Needing 37 runs from the final three overs, Jason Holder ignited celebrations at Sabina Park with three towering sixes during his rapid 21 from just five balls, helping the West Indies secure a tense victory with two balls remaining.
Holder, who missed the second match due to a sore hamstring, underlined his value throughout the series. His figures of 3 for 18 in the opening game helped him become only the second West Indian bowler to reach 50 T20I wickets on home soil.
King also reached a significant milestone, becoming just the third West Indies batter, alongside Powell and Nicholas Pooran, to surpass 2,000 T20I runs.
The West Indies dominated with the ball across the series, claiming 22 wickets compared to the visitors’ 17. Shamar Joseph was particularly effective, averaging a wicket every six balls while maintaining an economy rate of 7.83.
Holder was the most economical bowler of the series, conceding just 51 runs from his 48 deliveries across the matches at an economy rate of 6.37.
With the bat, the hosts struck 31 sixes compared to the visitors’ 26. Powell led the charge with six maximums, while Hetmyer and Rutherford each cleared the boundary five times.
Head coach Daren Sammy praised the team’s all-round performance, highlighting both their collective effort and the measured approach displayed by the batters during the successful run chase.
“Most of all, being under pressure today and having the nerve, the calm and the cricket smarts to do what it takes to come out over the line; that was special,” Sammy said. “There are still areas and skills we’ve got to develop, but it’s something that we as the coaching staff and players will continue to work on.”
The teams will now turn their attention to the two-test series in Antigua at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium from June 25- July 7.
