Shai Hope added another feather to his burgeoning reputation as a premier batsman of the ODI format, scoring a steady hundred - his ninth in the format - as West Indies posted a competitive 289 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.
Hope scored 115 off 140, playing his role of sheet anchor to perfection as West Indies overcame a nervy start after being put into bat on an uncharacteristically grass-laden pitch at the SSC, Colombo.
Hope’s circumspect approach was vindicated by the end of the innings, by when the batting had become easier. This allowed the likes of Keemo Paul (32* off 17) and Hayden Walsh (20* off 8) to swing for the fences and plunder 66 runs from the final six overs of the innings.
It could have all ended on 0 for Hope had he not reviewed an LBW decision off the second ball of the game after being inserted in to bat by Dimuth Karunaratne. Nuwan Pradeep seamed a delivery back into him and beat Hope’s attempted flick and got a favourable decision from the umpire. The review replays however showed that the ball was projected to comfortably miss the leg stump. That was just minor relief for the visitors, who soon found themselves stuck in quick sand on a tough wicket when Thisara Perera breached through the defences of Sunil Ambris.
Darren Bravo walked out to weather this early storm and along with Hope circumspectly moved the total to 31 by the 10-over mark. The waiting game paid off and the tide change once Sri Lanka rung in bowling changes. Isuru Udana and Angelo Mathews struggled with their lengths and their attempts to look for fuller areas of the pitch was met with a stinging riposte from Bravo, who lofted the bowlers straight back over their heads for multiple boundaries. The next five overs brought 39 runs allowing West Indies to move to 70 at the end of the 15 overs.
The 77-run stand for the second-wicket came to an end in unfortunate circumstances when Bravo charged out for a single despite Hope having punched the ball straight to short cover. A simple throw to the bowler ended his innings on 39. West Indies played Roston Chase at No.4 ahead of Nicholas Pooran, a move that worked wonders in keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Chase and Hope ensured there was no lull through the middle-overs, seamlessly mixing defence with attack at a phase when Karunaratne expected his spinners to give him control. Hope completed his half-century off 78 balls and then kicked up a gear thereafter, bringing out his pull shot to great effect. The highlight of that partnership, though, was an inside-out loft over extra cover by Chase. The all-rounder was eventually dismissed for a 45-ball 41 after he was foxed by a Pradeep slower ball that ricocheted off the inside-edge on to the stumps.
Sri Lanka chipped away with a couple of more wickets as Nicholas Pooran and Pollard fell to Udana’s variations but as is his wont, Hope kept finding the regular boundaries from the other end to alleviate the run-rate pressure. In all, he hit 10 fours and got to his 100 off his 128th ball but was bowled immediately thereafter looking to play a scoop shot off Udana. Paul and Hayden Walsh though found no demons in Udana’s bowling, taking the all-rounder for 33 runs off his final two overs to power West Indies to a great total.
Brief scores: West Indies 289/7 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 115, Roston Chase 41; Isuru Udana 3-82) vsSri Lanka
Lineups:
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Isuru Udana, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep.
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell.
Source: Cricbuzz
