Warner’s 55 not out saw Australia home with almost 25 overs to spare after the West Indies earlier collapsed from 50 for one to 116 all out from 32.3 overs.

Australia then wasted little time in getting to the modest target, Warner anchoring the effort to ensure a victory that was never in doubt despite the loss of three wickets for seven runs with the end in sight.

Spinners Sunil Narine, with two wickets in one over, and Sulieman Benn caused the discomfort but it was not enough to save the hosts.

The emphatic victory earned Australia a bonus point to move ahead of the West Indies in the three-team standings before Tuesday’s final game at Providence against South Africa.

“Our batting is a real concern,” said West Indies coach Phil Simmons.

“The bowlers and fielding side are doing a great job but we need to get it together with the bat for the next two matches in St Kitts.”

Boosted by a four-wicket win in the tournament-opener against the South Africans at the same venue two days earlier, the West Indies plummeted back down to earth at the feet of the World Cup-holders, whose frontline spinners Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa did the bulk of the damage with three wickets apiece after the usual effective opening burst from Mitchell Starc. “I really enjoyed it out there on that pitch,” Zampa enthused after his performance.

“South Africa will be a big challenge though on Tuesday with so many quality batsmen.”

Playing his first international match for more than six months after being sidelined by injury, the left-arm fast bowler breached the defences of openers Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles to finish with figures of two for 37 from nine overs.

He showed signs of rustiness in delivering five wides and a no-ball, however his lethal pace proved more than a handful for the West Indies top order.

Starc’s tally of ODI wickets is now at 92 in his 47th match and should he take eight more before the end of this competition he will eclipse Pakistan’s Saqlain Mustaq for the record as the fastest to 100 wickets in terms of matches played in this format of the international game.

Charles topscored with a chancy 22 while all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite was last out for 21, Aaron Finch taking the catch at long-on to give Zampa his third wicket.

Notwithstanding the turgid surface, the home batsmen contributed to their swift demise with a succession of poor shots, exemplified by Darren Bravo’s loose cover-drive at seamer Mitchell Marsh which offered a straightforward catch to Zampa at cover.

Lyon, the experienced off-spinner, had an almost instant impact in disposing of Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard off successive deliveries.

Sri Lanka made 215-3 after the West Indies won the toss and opted to field at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The start of the match was delayed by over an hour due to rain, and when play finally got under way all of Sri Lanka’s top-order batsmen were in fine form.

Dilshan hit eight fours on his way to notching 56 while left-handed opener Kusal Perera scored 40 before being caught by Darren Sammy off burly bowler Kieron Pollard for the fall of the first wicket. Right-handed Dilshan walked soon afterwards when he attempted a reverse sweep and completely missed the ball — Pollard’s second wicket of the night.

Shehan Jayasuriya was on 36 when he was caught and bowled by Sunil Narine.
At the end of the 20 overs Dinesh Chandimal was on 40 while Angelo Mathews was 37 not out, leaving the West Indies chasing a difficult target of 216.

“Thanks to all the batsmen,” said Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga.

“They realised these conditions are hard to bowl in and they put up a good total for us.”

The visitors’ chase got off to the worst possible start when opener Johnson Charles was bowled out by Malinga for a duck.

Andre Fletcher tried his best to see that the West Indies at least had a fighting chance, scoring an impressive 57 that included a whopping six sixes. Dwayne Bravo and Pollard raced to 24 and 26 respectively, hitting two fours and two sixes each and for a moment it looked as though the match would go to the wire. But several key wickets fell quickly with Senanayake taking Bravo, Sammy and Jason Holder to add to his earlier wicket of Marlon Samuels.

Milinda Siriwardana took two wickets and Malinga grabbed his second of the night as the West Indies were bowled out for 185 in the final over.

“Well played to Sri Lanka, they posted a very big total, 200 is always difficult to chase down,” said West Indies captain Sammy. “We kept losing wickets in clusters and that slowed us down,” he added. The two sides will play the second and final T20 in Colombo on Wednesday. Sri Lanka will be seeking a clean sweep after they won the three-match one-day international series 3-0.

They also won the preceding Test series without loss, taking it 2-0. (AFP)

Sri Lanka were set a revised target of 163 in 26 overs with the the Duckworth and Lewis system coming into play after West Indies reached 159 for 8 in their 26 overs.

Sri Lanka was on course for a win ,but with the dismissal of Angelo Mathews and a three wicket burst in one over by Sunil Narine saw Sri Lanka drifting towards a certain defeat losing four wickets for 13 runs at one stage. Ajantha Mendis a bowler turned batsman turned the tide of the match towards the host with an unbeaten 21 facing 20 deliveries and achieving victory with a six.

Windies were 40 for 3 in the 15th over when rain intervened, and their middle order comprising Andre Russell (41) and skipper Jason Holder 36 guided them towards their final destination 159 for 8.

Play began around 3.40 pm under lights, and Sri Lanka electing to field after winning the toss got off to a resounding start.z_p28-sccc.jpg

With conditions suitable for pace bowling Lasith Malinga opened with a maiden to Andre Fletcher.

But in the third ball of Suranga Lakmal’s first over he trapped Johnson Charles lbw and Lakmal in his next over forced Marlon Samuels to cut a short ball and Tillekeratne Dilshan at backward point took a tumbling catch. Danushka Gunatileka and Shehan Jayasuriya made their ODI debut, and after five overs each bowled by Malinga and Suranga Lakmal who took the wickets of Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels, spin was introduced in the company of Sachitra Senanayake and Shehan Jayasuriya. In the tenth over.

With the score reading 40 for 3 after 14.3 overs a steady drizzle drove the players into their respective dressing rooms.

The persistence drizzle did not permit the covers to be taken off fully and it was a case of the ground staff covering and uncovering the playing surface from time to time.

However, after a tremendous job by the ground staff, play was possible around 8.30 pm with the overs reduced to 26 overs per side.

Shehan Jayasuriya completing his unfinished over clean bowled Jonathan Carter while cutting. But Andre Russell who displayed his batting prowess in the practice game was quickly on his strides, Russell and Darren Bravo were engaged in a 58 run stand for the fifth wicket and Andre struck a quick fire 41 facing twenty three deliveries with three fours and three sixes to uplift the tempo.

In the quest of quick runs Darren Bravo moved away from his stumps for a big hit and was bowled by Ajantha Mendis, then skipper Jason Holder hit a rapid 36 off thirteen balls with two fours and three sixes as the West indian reached 159 for 8 in 26 overs.

Suranga Lakmal who gave the early break through finished with 3 for 15 and Ajantha Mendis took 2 for 46 in his four overs.