( Kieron Pollard)
Speed Post News Network
Patna : West Indies (WI) beat Sri Lanka (SL) by 4 wickets in the 1st T20I at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, WI, on March 3, 2021, late night, night, as captain Kieron Pollard, 33, hit 6 sixes in an over of spinner Akila Dananjaya, 27, in his 11 balls 38. Akila had taken a hat-trick in the previous over. All-rounder Pollard was named Player Of The Match.
Chasing a target of 132, WI were off to an explosive start scoring 52 in 3.2 overs only with opener Evin Lewis scoring 28 in 10 balls hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes. Lewis hit 3 sixes in the first over of the innings and added 52 runs for the 1st wicket with fellow opener Lendl Simmons (26 in 15 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes).
Lewis fell to Akila Dananjaya for 26 making it 52/1. Star player Chris Gayle also fell to Akila for zero and it was 52/2. Nicholas Pooran (wk) also fell to Akila for zero at the same score and it was 52/3. It was Akila’s hat-trick, the third Si Lankan bowler to achieve the milestone.
In came Pollard and took the game away hitting hit 6 sixes in Akila’s very next over. Jason Holder remained unbeaten on 29 in 24 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes. Holder hit the winning six off Nuwan Pradeep. Replying to SL’s 131/9 in 20 overs, WI scored 134/6 in only 13.1 overs. Akila finished with 3/62 in 4 overs. Pollard is the third batsmen to hit 6 sixes in an over in international cricket after India’s Yuvraj Singh ( in 2007 T20I World Cup ) and South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs ( in 2007 ODI World Cup).
For SL, opener Niroshan Dickwella (wk) scored 33 in 29 balls with 3 fours and 1 six while Pathum Nissanka scored 39 in 34 balls with 4 fours and 1 six. Captain Angelo Mathews scored 5 runs while Dinesh Chandimal scored 11 runs.