Caribbean island par jab West Indies ki aandhi chalti hai toh bade bade dher ho jaate hain, par kal raat Sabina Park mein kahani kuch aur hi thi. Sri Lanka ne dikha diya ki kyun unhe subcontinent ka sher kaha jaata hai. Ek waqt par lag raha tha ki Windies aram se match le jayenge, par phir Sri Lanka ke spinners ne aisa jaal buna ki Powell ki paltan usmein buri tarah phans gayi. 37 runs ki is shandaar jeet ke saath series ab 1-1 ki barabari par hai.
To Hua esa hai ki:
Match ki shuruaat Sri Lanka ke liye thodi thandi rahi thi. 13th over tak score 88 for 4 tha aur fans ko lag raha tha ki shayad team 150 bhi mushkil se banayegi. Tab crease par entry hui Dasun Shanaka ki. Unhone aate hi aggressive batting shuru ki aur Kamil Mishara ke saath milkar maidan ke charo taraf shots lagaye. In dono ne sirf 42 balls mein 103 runs ki aisi partnership ki jisne West Indies ke bowlers ke hosh uda diye. Dasun Shanaka ne mahaz 19 balls mein apni fifty puri ki aur stadium ki chhat par balls pahunchayi.
Target tha 195 runs ka. Chase karte waqt West Indies ne ek waqt par 89 for 2 bana liye the aur Rovman Powell aur Shimron Hetmyer ki jodi match ko khatam karne ki taraf badh rahi thi. Par jaise hi spinners ka kotal shuru hua, Caribbean batting lineup tash ke patton ki tarah bikhar gayi. Wanindu Hasaranga aur Maheesh Theekshana ne middle overs mein aisi grip banayi ki 32 runs ke andar 6 wickets gir gaye. Dushmantha Chameera ne aakhiri kalti maari aur West Indies 157 runs par all out ho gayi.
Analysis & Numbers
- Dasun Shanaka Masterclass: 58 runs in just 24 balls, hitting 5 fours and 5 massive sixes.
- Kamil Mishara Stability: 61 not out off 40 balls, anchor ka role bakhoobi nibhaya.
- Spin Dominance: Wanindu Hasaranga took 3 for 38, putting the breaks on the scoring rate.
- Pace Precision: Dushmantha Chameera finished with clinical figures of 3 for 9 in his spell.
- Collapse: West Indies lost 6 wickets for just 32 runs in the middle phase.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Ye jeet dikhati hai ki T20 cricket mein momentum hi sab kuch hai. Jahan West Indies apne ghar par dominate karne aayi thi, wahan Sri Lanka ne game-plan se unhe maat di. Powell aur Hetmyer ne achha base banaya tha par pressure mein Caribbean players aksar dimag ki jagah sirf takat ka istemal karte hain aur wahi unhe le dooba. Dasun Shanaka ne prove kar diya ki purana chawal abhi bhi swadist hai. Sunday ko hone wala final match high-voltage hone wala hai kyunki series line par hai.
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