Sri Lanka Masters cricket team faced their first defeat to the West Indies Masters by just six runs in the second semi-final of the International Masters League, played at Raipur, IML on Friday (14).
Batting first the West Indies Masters scored 179 for five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Denesh Ramdin who came in late in their innings top scored with an unbeaten 50 runs.
Sri Lanka started well, but their batsman from whom much was expected in skipper Kumar Sangakkara was the first to be dismissed when he pulled a delivery straight to Brian Lara who took a good catch.
Thereafter, Upul Tharanga and Asela Gunaratne batted with some authority but after Tharanga was dismissed wickets fell at regular intervals until Isuru Udana walked in and took charge to pile on the runs.
With his dismissal only Asela Gunaratne batted with caution to top score on 66 runs off 42 deliveries that included seven boundaries and one six.
He was the last to be dismissed in the final over of the match and Sri Lanka fell short of just six runs.
Scores:
West Indies Masters: 179/5
(William Perkins 24, Brian Lara 41 rtd, Chadwick Walton 31, Denesh Ramdin 50 n.o.)
Sri Lanka Masters: 173/9
(Upul Tharanga 30, Kumar Sangakkara 17, Asela Gunaratne 66, Isuru Udana 21, Tino Best 4/27, Dwayne Smith 2/37)
(Player of the match Tino Best 4/27)
