Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 5 wickets in the rain-halted first ODI in Pallekele. The toss went in the favor of the West Indies, and the Caribbean skipper decided to bat first considering the forecast of rain to take some advantage of DLS. This decision of Shai Hope proved to be right as rain interrupted in the 39th over of the West Indies inning when the score was 185/4. From there, when the game was resumed, the West Indies inning was discontinued due to the time limit, and Sri Lanka started to bat with a target of 232 runs in 37 overs. At first, this target proved to be tough as Sri Lanka lost three early wickets, but after that, skipper Asalanka took responsibility on his shoulder and took Sri Lanka to the finish line with a knock of 77 off 71 balls. Sri Lanka chased the target in 31.5 overs, scoring 234/5 with scoring runs coming off Kamindu Mendis’ bat.
Match Scorecard: SL vs WI 1st ODI, Pallekele
West Indies Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Alick Athanaze | st BKG Mendis b Hasaranga | 10 | 20 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon King | b Hasaranga | 14 | 25 | 56 | 2 | 0 |
| Keacy Carty | c Wellalage b Asalanka | 37 | 58 | 63.79 | 1 | 1 |
| Shai Hope (c) | lbw b Vandersay | 5 | 13 | 38.46 | 0 | 0 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | not out | 74 | 82 | 90.24 | 5 | 3 |
| Roston Chase | not out | 33 | 33 | 100 | 4 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 9, w 3) | 12 | ||||
| Total | 38.3 Ov (RR: 4.80) | 185/4 |
Sri Lanka Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Asitha Fernando | 4 | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| Janith Liyanage | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Dunith Wellalage | 7 | 20 | 0 | 2.85 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 6 | 18 | 2 | 3 |
| Jeffrey Vandersay | 8.3 | 45 | 1 | 5.29 |
| Charith Asalanka | 10 | 56 | 1 | 5.6 |
Sri Lanka Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Nishan Madushka | c King b Motie | 69 | 54 | 127.77 | 7 | 1 |
| Avishka Fernando | c Chase b Joseph | 5 | 7 | 71.42 | 1 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Hope b Joseph | 13 | 8 | 162.5 | 3 | 0 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | b Motie | 18 | 12 | 150 | 3 | 0 |
| Charith Asalanka (c) | lbw b Motie | 77 | 71 | 108.45 | 8 | 3 |
| Janith Liyanage | not out | 18 | 18 | 100 | 1 | 1 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 30 | 21 | 142.85 | 3 | 1 |
| Extras | (lb 2, w 2) | 4 | ||||
| Total | 31.5 Ov (RR: 7.35) | 234/5 |
West Indies Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Jayden Seales | 4.5 | 43 | 0 | 8.89 |
| Alzarri Joseph | 6 | 39 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Gudakesh Motie | 8 | 47 | 3 | 5.87 |
| Roston Chase | 6 | 42 | 0 | 7 |
| Hayden Walsh | 4 | 37 | 0 | 9.25 |
| Romario Shepherd | 3 | 24 | 0 | 8 |
Man of the Match: SL vs WI 1st ODI
Sri Lankan skipper Charith Aslanka was chosen player of the match for his match-winning knock of 77 off 71 in the 1st ODI.
| Player | Team | Batting & Bowling Figure |
| Charith Asalanka | Sri Lanka | 77 (71) & 1/56 |
Most Runs: SL vs WI 1st ODI
Charith Asalanka was the leading scorer in the Pallekele with 77 runs.
| Player | Team | Score |
| Charith Asalanka | Sri Lanka | 77 (71) |
Most Wickets: SL vs WI 1st ODI
Caribbean spinner Gudakesh Motie emerged the best bowler, as he dismissed three Sri Lankan batsmen.
| Player | Team | Figures |
| Gudakesh Motie | West Indies | 3/47 (8 overs) |
Most Sixes: SL vs WI 1st ODI
Sherfane Rutherford and Charith Asalanka hit three sixes in the 1st ODI at Pallekele to become the batsmen to strike the most sixes.
| Player | Team | Sixes |
| Charith Asalanka | Sri Lanka | 3 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | 3 |
Playing XIs: SL vs WI 1st ODI
Sri Lanka Playing XI
Nishan Madushka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando
West Indies Playing XI
Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph
Read More: West Indies tour of Sri Lanka, 2024
