ABU DHABI: 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 favorite to sign off from the tournament on a winning note.
“These youngsters have been working hard, so I’m really happy,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanka. “They worked really hard for this. They have a long career ahead and a lot of good cricket to come.”
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.
“(Hasaranga) is a gem. He’s a superstar in the making,” Shanaka said. “There’s a lot of cricket to be played, we have to protect him as well (but) as a captain, I back him in every situation.”
Inexperienced Sri Lanka bowed out of the tournament with four points in Super 12s, 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.
“We have spoken time and time again, especially from a batting perspective, what we need to do as individuals and we have not done well,” Pollard said. “A couple of young guys are putting up their hands but the experienced guys, myself included, have not done well.”
West Indies had a mathematical chance to go through to the last four, but Asalanka and Nissanka combined in a brilliant 91-run second-wicket stand.
The West Indies’ most experienced bowler Bravo was smashed for 42 off his four overs. Bravo finally broke the stand when Nissanka holed out in the deep in the 16th over.
Ravi Rmpaul and Jason Holder also couldn’t impress and finished with identical figure of 0-37.
The Sri Lanka fielders showed plenty of athleticism on the field with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne holding onto stunning catches to dismiss Roston Chase and Holder, respectively.
Hetmyer, who hit eight fours and four sixes, narrowed the margin of defeat in the last three overs through some big hitting against fast bowler Karunaratne (2-43) and Dushmantha Chameera (1-41).
“We are not going to hide from the fact that it’s been disappointing for us,” Pollard said. “I’m sure all the guys are hurting in that dressing room. It’s something we didn’t see coming, but we have to face the reality.”
Sri Lanka ends West Indies’ hopes of T20 World Cup semis
https://arab.news/vye93
Sri Lanka ends West Indies’ hopes of T20 World Cup semis
- Inexperienced Sri Lanka bows out of the tournament with four points in Super 12s
- In reply, West Indies lost their power hitters cheaply before getting restricted at 169-8
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
