Andre Russell’s six-laden 40* helped West Indies sweep the T20I series 2-0 vs Sri Lanka on Friday at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. While Shimron Hetmyer also hit 43* of his own, Russell’s 14-ball blitz ensured that West Indies chased down the 156-run target with 3 overs to spare.
What was even more remarkable about Russell’s innings was the fact that he hit 6 sixes in his short stay taking his six-tally in the 2 matches to 10. While he played just 28 balls in the 2 T20Is in SL, Russell’s 10 sixes easily outshone the 7 maximums hit by all home batsmen and his West Indies teammates each.
Sri Lankan batsmen hit a total of 7 sixes in 236 balls faced over 2 matches, WI batsmen (excluding Russell) also hit the same number of sixes in 184 balls.
Chasing 156, West Indies lost opener Lendl Simmons in the third over, reducing the side to 23-1. Brandon King played aggressively and kept the run chase alive for the Caribbean team. King got out after scoring 43 runs off 21 balls. Rovman Powell then joined Shimron Hetmyer at the crease, and the duo took the side past 100 runs mark.
“I was just trying to get the runs, it was a good team display. We still have some areas to work on but we are peaking at the right time, everyone is in tune. (On ODI series loss) I think when you start off on the wrong foot, you end up playing catch, we have a good ODI side though” said Andre Russell after winning man of the match and series award.
