Lewis heroics in vain as SL beat WI by 1 run

West Indies opener Evin Lewis played a heroic knock of 148, but it all went in vain, as they suffered a heart-breaking loss to fellow visitors Sri Lanka, , by just a run in the fifth One-Day International (ODI) of the Zimbabwe tri-nation series, at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.  Apart from Lewis, it was the skipper Jason Holder, who remained unbeaten on 45, while for Lanka, it was Suranga Lakmal, and Nuwan Kulasekara, who claimed a couple of wickets each, as they match went down to the wire until the final ball of the match to decide the winner, while it West Indies scored their record total, batting second.

Earlier, West Indies skipper Jason Holder won the coin toss, and elected to field first, as Sri Lanka posted a challenging total of 330 for the loss of seven wickets, with Niroshan Dickwella, and Kusal Mendis smashing 94 each, while opener Dhananjaya de Silva too fired a healthy 58, as Holder claimed three wickets for 57. As for the Windies batting, it began on a positive note, with the openers in the form of Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis were off to a steady start, as they put up a 63-run opening stand, before Charles fell for 26 to Suranga Lakmal in the eighth over.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 330 for 7 in 50 overs (Niroshan Dickwella 94, Kusal Mendis 94; Jason holder 3 for 57) beat West Indies 329 for 9 in 50 overs (Eavn Lewis 148, Jason Holder 45*; Suranga Lakmal 2 for 67, Nuwan Kulasekara 2 for 73 ) by 1 run.

Man of the Match: Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)