WI Women seal series

Captain Hayley Matthews and her deputy, Shemaine Campbelle, starred with the bat as West Indies women restored some pride from the tour of Sri Lanka with a six-wicket victory in the final T20I at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

Asked to chase 142 to win the three-match series, with 49 from Matthews and an unbeaten 41 from Campbelle, the Caribbean side got over the line with a ball to spare.

Requiring six runs from the last over, Campbelle and Chinelle Henry (four not out) combined to make five runs from the first three deliveries to level the scores, before Henry pinched a single off the fifth to carry them over the winning line.

Campbelle struck three fours and two sixes in a 30-ball knock to earn the Player-of-the-Match award.

Earlier, Sri Lanka women posted 141 for 7 from their allocated 20 overs after being sent in to bat, captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scoring with 38, Harshitha Samarawickrama supporting with 28 and Kavisha Dilhari getting 26.

After the loss of opener Vishmi Gunaratne (two) to the second ball of the innings, Athapaththu and Samarawickrama steadied the innings in a 55-run, second wicket partnership. Athapaththu struck three fours and as many sixes in a run-a-ball knock while Samarawickrama faced 26 balls and counted four fours.

Spinner Afy Fletcher (2-25) removed Samarawickrama to a return catch in the 10th over, and Athapaththu added a further 34 for the third wicket with Dilhari, who smacked four boundaries in 26 balls.

But both perished and were includes in a three-wickets tumble for only 11 runs. Ama Kanchana (19 not out) then inspired a 31-run, sixth wicket stand with Nilakshika Silva (12) to rally the innings late on.