West Indies target ODI series comeback against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park

The West Indies will try to pull their three-match one-day international series with Sri Lanka level when the second game bowls off on Saturday at Sabina Park.

The home side enters the match under pressure after going down by 41 runs in Wednesday’s opener. West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl first, but their attack did not make enough inroads during the Sri Lankan innings.

Head coach Darren Sammy said the preparation before the series had raised his expectations, which made the performance in the first match more disappointing. He said West Indies handled the powerplay phases well, but the contest slipped away during the middle overs with both ball and bat.

Sammy said the response must be sharper in game two, especially against Sri Lanka’s spin attack. He also pointed to the need for better control through the middle overs and more wicket-taking pressure from the bowlers.

West Indies have not beaten Sri Lanka in a series since the 2020-2021 tour, and Saturday’s fixture is now a must-win if they are to keep alive their chance of claiming this series.

Asked whether he was concerned that West Indies must win back-to-back matches to take the contest, Sammy said there was no alarm in the camp. He noted that the team has won its last four home series and has faced similar situations before, even if falling behind at home is not ideal.

Sammy said the players remain confident and positive, adding that he has been pleased with the way they prepared from Antigua into the Jamaica leg. He said the challenge now is to turn that mindset into a stronger performance against Sri Lanka.