Sherfane Rutherford produced a composed unbeaten half-century, reaching the milestone in the final over, as West Indies sealed a thrilling five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and deciding Twenty20 International. The hosts completed the chase with two balls remaining to clinch the series 2-1.
Rutherford remained unbeaten on 54 from 40 deliveries, while Jason Holder provided a stunning late assault, smashing three sixes in the penultimate over. Holder finished on 21 not out from just five balls as West Indies successfully chased down Sri Lanka’s total of 169, ending on 170-5.
Sri Lanka were left to rue two dropped catches that proved costly, both offering Rutherford reprieves during his match-winning innings. Those missed opportunities ultimately played a significant role in deciding the contest after the teams had shared the opening two matches. After winning the toss, West Indies elected to field first and their bowlers justified the decision. Shamar Joseph starred with the ball, claiming 5-33 in a superb player-of-the-match performance that restricted Sri Lanka’s scoring.
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The series had been finely poised after West Indies won the opening T20I by seven wickets before Sri Lanka bounced back with a convincing 37-run victory in the second match. Joseph set the tone for the hosts by taking two wickets in the sixth over and then adding three more in the final over of Sri Lanka’s innings. On two occasions he came within a delivery of completing a hat-trick but could not finish the feat.
Earlier, Matthew Forde produced a spectacular one-handed return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Kusal Mendis for five on just the ninth ball of the innings. Sri Lanka made an aggressive start and raced to 49-1 after five overs before Joseph struck twice in consecutive deliveries during the sixth over. Pathum Nissanka contributed 26 from 17 balls before top-edging a catch to Roston Chase, ending a 43-run second-wicket stand. Joseph then trapped Pavan Rathnayake lbw with the very next delivery.
Dunith Wellalage later anchored Sri Lanka’s recovery effort, sharing a valuable 49-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Wanindu Hasaranga. However, the stand was broken when Hasaranga, who made 21 from 13 deliveries, was run out in the 19th over. Wellalage continued to battle on and top-scored with 43 from 28 balls before becoming the first of three wickets to fall in the final over as Sri Lanka finished on 169.
West Indies suffered an early setback in the chase when Shai Hope was bowled by Wellalage off the third ball. Despite the loss, the hosts raced to 52 before a dramatic collapse saw them lose three wickets for just one run across 12 deliveries, shifting momentum firmly in Sri Lanka’s favor.
Rovman Powell and Rutherford then rebuilt the innings with a crucial 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Powell made 33 before being dismissed on the final ball of a dramatic 17th over. That over, bowled by Dushmantha Chameera, lasted nine deliveries due to a no-ball and two wides. It yielded 24 runs for West Indies along with Powell’s wicket, leaving the hosts needing 36 from the final three overs.
The target was reduced to 29 runs from the last two overs before Holder launched a decisive attack on Chameera, hammering three sixes in four balls during the 19th over. His late fireworks brought the equation down to just six runs required in the final over, allowing Rutherford to guide West Indies home and complete a memorable victory.
Earlier on the tour, Sri Lanka had won the rain-affected three-match ODI series 1-0 after the final two matches were washed out. The visitors secured the only completed ODI by 41 runs. Attention now turns to the longest format, with the teams scheduled to face each other in a two-match Test series beginning on June 25 in Antigua.
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