Smith’s 5-for leads WI Select XI to clinical victory

West Indies Select XI pulled off a heist for the ages on Sunday, defeating Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the first and only warm-up match ahead of the visitors’ two-match Test series against West Indies’ senior men.
Sri Lanka looked poised for victory at stumps on Saturday afternoon, on 30-1 chasing 124 for the win. However, a masterful bowling display from Guyana Harpy Eagles’ Nial Smith and Alzarri Joseph gave the Select team something to cheer about.
Skipper Tevin Imlach entrusted his go-to pacer, Smith with the new ball on Sunday morning and was richly rewarded as he struck early, trapping Dinesh Chandimal lbw for 19 from 38 deliveries.
Smith’s excellent run of form in the practice match continued in the 17th over, when his double- wicket strike began to give the West Indies Select XI hope of defending the small total.
The set batsmen in Nishan Maduska and Captain Dhananjaya de Silva had to return to the dugout for 30 off 42 deliveries and 1 run from 3 balls respectively as Smith continued his rout.
Joseph, who had taken the first wicket before stumps on Day 3, joined the party soon after, as the pace pair chipped away at the visitors’ middle order.
Later on, Milan Rathnayake (6 off 23) and Prabath Jayasuriya (10 off 17) attempted some resistance, but Joseph and Smith knocked them down, respectively, to do away with Sri Lanka’s batters.
They were eventually routed for 108 in 29.5 overs, 15 runs short of the target.
Smith eventually finished with a five-wicket haul, 5-30 from 10 overs, while Joseph claimed 4-41 from 10.5 overs. Ojay Shields accounted for the remaining wicket.
All eyes will now be on the Test teams as they head into their first battle from June 25-29. The second and final Test in the series is scheduled for July 3-7.