Sri Lanka produced a stunning batting turnaround in the second T20I at Kingston, posting a magnificent 194/6 and then bowling West Indies out for 157 in 18.1 overs to win by 37 runs and level the series 1-1. The match belonged to two extraordinary batting performances — Kaushal Mishara's composed 61 off 33 balls and Dasun Shanaka's breathtaking 58 off just 24 balls, which combined in a match-defining fifth-wicket partnership of 100 in 39 balls that turned the game completely on its head. West Indies, despite early contributions from Romario Powell and Shimron Hetmyer, could not match Sri Lanka's middle-order explosion and fell 37 runs short in a result that sets up a series decider.

Sri Lanka Innings: Mishara and Shanaka Produce a Masterpiece

Sri Lanka's innings began with familiar powerplay struggles — two wickets falling while scoring 43 runs in the opening 6 overs — before gradually steadying through the middle phase. The 50-run mark arrived in 7.3 overs and at drinks Sri Lanka were 71/3 in 10 overs — Mishara on 10 and Kusal Perera on 20 — the innings in need of a significant partnership to push towards a competitive total.

Sri Lanka crossed 100 in 13.3 overs and then everything changed. Dasun Shanaka arrived at the crease and immediately launched one of the most explosive cameos of the entire WI vs SL series. The partnership between Mishara and Shanaka was nothing short of extraordinary — 50 in just 23 balls and then an astonishing 100 in 39 balls — a stand that completely demolished West Indies' bowling attack and transformed the innings from decent to devastating.

Mishara brought up his fifty off 33 balls — 2 fours and 3 sixes — a knock of growing brilliance that showed his full range of strokeplay under pressure. But it was Shanaka who stole every headline, reaching his fifty off just 19 balls — 4 fours and 4 sixes — one of the fastest T20I fifties seen in the Caribbean and a cameo of pure, unbridled aggression that left West Indies' bowlers shell-shocked. Sri Lanka crossed 150 in 16.6 overs as the two continued their assault and Mishara eventually finished on 61 — the highest score of the match — as Sri Lanka closed on 194/6. It was a total that looked, given the pitch conditions, very challenging to chase.

West Indies Chase: Two Early Blows End the Contest

West Indies' chase was effectively ended in the first two overs. Sri Lanka took two successful DRS bowling reviews in the opening 1.4 overs — Hope dismissed in over 0.5 and Brandon King in over 1.4 — two early strikes that removed both West Indies openers before the innings had properly started and instantly changed the complexion of the match.

Despite the double blow, West Indies showed genuine fight in the middle overs. Shimron Hetmyer and Romario Powell combined in a 50-run third-wicket partnership in just 30 balls — Powell in particular batting with the aggressive intent that makes him so dangerous — as West Indies reached drinks at 90/3 in 9.2 overs, Powell on 43 and still in the game mathematically. West Indies crossed 100 in 10.3 overs and a West Indies DRS batting review in over 12.2 for Romario Shepherd's wicket was struck down on umpire's call, denying them even a small reprieve.

But the required rate had climbed too steeply after those two devastating early wickets, and Sri Lanka's bowlers maintained their discipline throughout the chase. West Indies reached 150 in 17.5 overs — too slowly to mount a genuine challenge — and were eventually bowled out for 157 in 18.1 overs, 37 runs short of Sri Lanka's imposing target.

Dasun Shanaka was named Player of the Match for his 58 off 24 — the most explosive individual batting performance of the match and the innings that made the difference between a chaseable and an unchallengeable total.

Key Moments

  • Sri Lanka's powerplay of 43/2 was a shaky start, but the middle-order explosion more than compensated.
  • The Mishara-Shanaka 100-run fifth-wicket partnership in 39 balls was the most devastating passage of batting in the match and the series so far.
  • Shanaka's 50 off 19 balls — 4 fours and 4 sixes — was the most explosive innings of the T20I series.
  • Sri Lanka's two successful DRS reviews in the first 1.4 overs of the West Indies chase — removing Hope and King — were the decisive bowling moments that ended the match as a contest.
  • Powell and Hetmyer's 50-run stand in 30 balls showed West Indies' fighting spirit but came too late and too short.
  • Sri Lanka levelling the series 1-1 sets up a thrilling series decider.

Sri Lanka show exactly the character and firepower needed to bounce back from a series defeat, levelling at 1-1 with a performance of outstanding middle-order brilliance. West Indies will rue those two early wickets that fundamentally changed the nature of their chase — a lesson they must carry into the decider.