All-rounder Fabian Allen hit three sixes to lead the West Indies to a three-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the final Twenty20 International on Sunday. Chasing a modest target of just 132 runs, two-time world champion Chris Gayle, star Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo clashed in the run chase as the trio of three. Allen’s three sixes came in the form of spinner Aquila Dananjaya, when the 25-year-old Jamaica desperately needed 21 runs from the six balls he faced at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
The West Indies finished 134-7, winning the three-match series 2–1 after a four-wicket win in the first match, followed by Sri Lanka’s 43-run victory in the second.
After hitting six sixes in his one over in the first game on Wednesday, Dananjaya again succumbed to some explosive West Indies batting.
“I’m ready for everything, including bowling in Powerplay,” Allen said.
“When I look in the dressing room, we have a lot of batting power.
“I told (batting partner) Jason Holder that I (Vannindu) is not batting seamlessly against Hasranga, so I told him that I bat him and I will finish. I supported myself in the end. It Was a good performance. Overall. “
Running on home ground after restricting Sri Lanka to 131-4.
Openers Evin Lewis (21) and Lendl Simmons (26) gave a solid start to Sri Lanka’s leg-spinner Hasranga (2-13) before dismissing them both for a series of eight wickets.
Wrist spinner Lakhan Sandakan bowled a clean 13 for Gayle to complete 41 years of poor international returns, scoring just zero and 16 in the first two games.
Gayle has now gone five years without a fifty in T20 international matches.
Desperate trouble
Pollard, who became only the third man to hit six sixes in an international over on Wednesday, was bowled to zero by seamer Dushamantha Chameera.
Bravo also went for the Duck, sending the second wicket in two balls for Sandakan to back Rowan Powell.
Sandakan trailed 3–10 from Friday’s game with 3–29.
With 20 runs required off the final 12 balls, Allen bowled Dananjaya for 20 and delivered a brilliant over for the win.
It was a topsy-turvy series for Dananjaya, the fall-man for Pollard’s fireworks show last Wednesday that took a hat-trick in a single game.
Earlier, former captain Dinesh Chandimal completed his fifth Twenty20 International half-century as he and promising youngster Ashen Bandara took Sri Lanka to a modest score of 131-4.
Chandimal edged an undefined 54 with three boundaries to complete four of his best score of 58 in the 2016 format against Australia at Pallekele.
The 31-year-old, playing in his 57th T20 International, contributed just 11 and three in the first two games.
Bandra, 22, and on his first tour, scored an unbeaten 44 with three fours and only two sixes from his team.
Sri Lanka achieved the target of 47 runs in the first 10 overs of their innings on the loss of four wickets, who decided to bat first after winning the toss.
On his way to winning the second game by 43 runs at the same venue on Friday, he had won 94–0 at the half-point mark.
Promoted
On Sunday, he hit just two fours in the first 10 overs with opener Danusha Gunathilaka, who top-scored with 56 runs on Friday, this time being caught by nine and bowled by Allen.
Both sides will now play three ODIs and two Tests in Antigua.
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