Wanindu Hasaranga surpasses Ajantha Mendis to achieve major world record in ICC T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka ended defending champion West Indies’ slim hopes of advancing to the semifinals with an emphatic 20-run victory in their last T20 World Cup game on Thursday.
Young batters Charith Asalanka (68) and Pathum Nissanka (51) toyed with the seven-man West Indies attack in raising Sri Lanka’s highest total of 189-3 in their final Group 1 game by slamming powerful half-centuries.
In reply, West Indies, which won the toss and elected to field, lost their power hitters cheaply before getting restricted at 169-8.
Shimron Hetmyer narrowed the defeat with a fighting unbeaten 81 off 54 balls, but Sri Lanka always looked favourite to finish on a winning note.
The 42-year-old Chris Gayle could score only 1, Andre Russell made only 9 while the world’s new No. 1 T20 bowler, legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2-19), clean bowled Dwayne Bravo (1) and captain Kieron Pollard for zero as West Indies lost wickets with regular intervals in a steep chase. Wanindu took 16 wickets in 8 matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and now holds the record of taking the most wickets in a single edition of the tournament. He surpassed Ajantha Mendis’ world record, who took 15 wickets in 6 matches of the global event in 2012.
Inexperienced Sri Lanka bowed out of the tournament with four points, defeating Bangladesh and West Indies while losing to England, South Africa and Australia.
Two-time champion West Indies, having a solitary win over Bangladesh, takes on Australia in their last group game on Saturday.
