The hosts won in just 5.3 overs, chasing a revised target of 232 in 37 overs.
Asalanka’s arrival at the crease turned the tide after a rocky start that saw Sri Lanka fall to 45 for three in the seventh over.
His organization with Madushka, worth 137 runs for the fourth wicket, came in quick time.
Both Asalanka and Madushka arrived at their half-hundreds of years in only 44 balls.
Madushka, who has appeared in ten Test matches, was brought in to replace Pathum Nissanka, the leading run scorer in ODIs in 2024, who was injured and was the opener.
“I’m happy that he has gotten the open door with two hands,” Asalanka said. ” It’s good to have some healthy competition. Before the rain came, the West Indies had scored 183 for four in 38.3 overs.
The wet ball became difficult to grasp for their spinners.
Shai Hope, captain of the West Indies, stated, “The conditions really put us to the test.” The wet ball presented a significant obstacle, particularly for spinners.
Gudakesh Motie in the long run broke the Asalanka-Madushka stand, when Brandon Ruler took a sharp catch at slip. But by that time, the harm was already done.
Sri Lanka required only 50 runs off 74 balls when Madushka fell for 69 off 54 balls, which included seven fours and a six. Motie likewise caught Asalanka lbw after a splendid 77 off 71 balls, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Motie ended up with three wickets, but the difficult conditions—the ball had to be changed twice—could have made him have a bigger impact.
Kamindu Mendis and Janith Liyanage saw Sri Lanka home easily. The West Indies had previously struggled against Sri Lanka’s spinners, but Sherfane Rutherford’s career-best 74 not out, supported by Roston Chase, helped the visitors recover with an uninterrupted 85-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
However, it was insufficient to prevent Sri Lanka from taking the series lead by one goal. Sri Lanka dug out from a deficit to win the T20 series 2-1 last week.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES:
B. King b Hasaranga 14 K. Carty c Wellalage b Asalanka 37 S. Hope lbw b Vandersay 5 S. Rutherford not out 74 R. Chase not out 33 EXTRAS (LB-9, W-3) 12 TOTAL (for four wickets, 38.3 overs) 185 DID NOT BAT: A. Athanaze st K. Mendis b Hasaranga 10 B. King R. Shepherd, H. Walsh, G. Motie, J. Seales, A. Joseph
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-34 (Lord), 2-41 (Athanaze), 3-54 (Trust), 4-100 (Carty)
BOWLING: A.M. Fernando 4-0-28-0 (2w), Liyanage 3-0-9-0 (1w), Wellalage 7-0-20-0, Hasaranga 6-0-18-2, Vandersay 8.3-0-45-1, Asalanka 10-0-56-1
SRI LANKA:
N. Madushka c Lord b Motie 69
A. Fernando c Pursue b Joseph 5
K. Mendis c Expectation b Joseph 13
S. Samarawickrama b Motie 18
C. Asalanka lbw b Motie 77
J. Liyanage not out 18
K.M. Mendis not out 30
Additional items (LB-2, W-2) 4
Absolute (for five wickets, 31.5 overs) 234
Didn’t BAT: FALL OF WICKETS: W. Hasaranga, D. Wellalage, J. Vandersay, and A.M. Fernando 1-6 for A. Fernando, 2-22 for K. Mendis, 3-45 for Samarawickrama, 4-182 for Madushka, and 5-187 for Asalanka BOWLING: Seales won by 4.5-0-43-0, Joseph won by 6-0-39-2, Motie won by 8-0-47-3, Chase won by 6-0-42-0, Walsh won by 4-0-37-0, and Shepherd won by 3-0-24-0. (DLS Method) Sri Lanka prevailed by five wickets.
