ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Shimron Hetmyer’s career-best half-century proved an exercise in futility as a West Indies campaign that started in shame ended in sorrow, after the reigning champions suffered elimination from the Twenty20 World Cup with a depressing 20-run defeat to Sri Lanka here Thursday.
Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer goes on the attack during his unbeaten 81 against Sri Lanka on Thursday. (AFP Photo)Needing to win the contest at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in order to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals, West Indies failed to overhaul a challenging target of 190 and slumped to their third defeat in four matches to remain rooted in fifth spot in Group 1 on two points from four matches.
With wickets tumbling around him, the left-handed Hetmyer gallantly tried to salvage the run chase, lashing an unbeaten 81 off 54 balls, but his late charge smacked more of desperation than hope, and the 59 runs required from the last three overs proved out of reach.
Fellow left-hander Nicholas Pooran had earlier punched 46 off 34 deliveries at number three but he was the only other batsman in double figures, and it was his dismissal which triggered the middle order slide and set in motion West Indies’ demise.
Sent in earlier, Sri Lanka stormed to an impressive 189 for three off their 20 overs, Charith Asalanka top-scoring with 68 off 41 balls and opener Pathum Nissanka gathering 51 off 41 deliveries.
Kusal Perera with 29 and captain Dasun Shanaka with a robust 14-ball unbeaten 25, provided the finishing touches to an innings which marked Sri Lanka’s finest batting effort of the tournament.
West Indies’ final fixture against Australia on Saturday is now of academic interest only, and captain Kieron Pollard was left lamenting his side’s execution throughout the tournament.
“I think it’s heartbreaking … we’re out of the semifinals,” Pollard told reporters.
“It’s something that we have to dissect. A lot of different things might have gone wrong from the start of the tournament, during the tournament.
“So we still have another game to play. Obviously it was a heartbreaking sort of defeat. Guys are disappointed. I am disappointed myself. As a team, we have been disappointing and that is the reality of the situation.”
Fielding first for the first time, West Indies were under siege from early as Nissanka and Kusal posted 42 for the first wicket to prevent any major damage in the opening powerplay.
Perera counted two fours and a six off 21 balls before he perished in the sixth over to a diving return catch from all-rounder Andre Russell (2-33) but Nissanka, who struck five fours, added a further 91 for the second wicket with Asalanka to give Sri Lanka control of the game.
The partnership pushed Sri Lanka to 91 for one at the half-way stage and even when Nissanka holed out to deep mid-wicket off all-rounder Dwayne Bravo in the 16th over, Asalanka further punished West Indies in a 46-run, third wicket partnership with Shanaka, belting eight fours and a six in a superb knock.
Not for the first time, West Indies’ start was less than stellar, losing both openers Chris Gayle (1) and Evin Lewis (8) in the second over from left-arm seamer Binura Fernando.
The woefully out-of-form Gayle, appearing a shadow of the player who once tormented attacks the world over, lasted all of five deliveries before jabbing a catch to mid-off off in the second over, extending his abject form that has yielded 30 runs from four innings in the tournament.
When Lewis played on trying to steer a slower ball, West Indies were 10 for two but Pooran arrived to punch half-dozen fours and a six in a 37-run stand for the third wicket with Roston Chase (9) and in a 30-run partnership for the fourth with Hetmyer, who blasted eight fours and four sixes.
However, Pooran holed out to long off at the start of the 12th over and West Indies lost a cluster of wickets with five going down for 54 runs, leaving the run chase out to sea at 131 for eight at the end of the 17th over.
Russell (2) misjudged a short delivery from seamer Chamika Karunaratne (2-43) and top-edged a swat back to the bowler, Pollard missed a wild heave at a googly from leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (2-19) and was bowled without scoring while Jason Holder (8) deposited a full toss from Shanaka into the grasp of deep mid-wicket.
Bravo then charged a Hasaranga googly and was bowled for two but Hetmyer sparkled at the end to narrow the margin of defeat, raising his third T20 International half-century off 39 balls in the 18th over with a boundary to extra cover before taking 18 from the penultimate over from Karunaratne.
