West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the first game of the three-match T20I series. The match took place at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in Dambulla, where West Indies’ skipper Rovemann Powell elected to field first. Invited to bat, Sri Lanka had a shaky start ; however, the fifties from Kamindu Mendis and Captain Asalanka led Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 179/7 in 20 overs.
The target of 180 is decent enough but the Caribbean opening pair of Lewis & King made it look dwarf as they put up a hundred-run partnership in just 9 overs to take the game away from Sri Lanka. The game was done & dusted with the opening partnership of King & Lewis; however, Sri Lanka fought till the end and gave late setbacks to the Caribean team. But not enough to disembark West Indies from reaching the target in 19.1 overs.
Match Scorecard: SL vs WI 1st T20I, Dambulla
Sri Lanka Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Pathum Nissanka | c Hope b Shepherd | 11 | 10 | 110 | 2 | 0 |
| Kusal Mendis | b Motie | 19 | 16 | 118.75 | 1 | 1 |
| Kusal Perera | b S Joseph | 6 | 3 | 200 | 1 | 0 |
| Kamindu Mendis | c Chase b Springer | 51 | 40 | 127.5 | 5 | 2 |
| Charith Asalanka (c) | c Lewis b AS Joseph | 59 | 35 | 168.57 | 9 | 0 |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | c Motie b Shepherd | 17 | 11 | 154.54 | 1 | 1 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | run out (Hope) | 1 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Chamindu Wickramasinghe | not out | 4 | 3 | 133.33 | 1 | 0 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | not out | 4 | 1 | 400 | 1 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 3, w 4) | 7 | ||||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 8.95) | 179/7 |
West Indies Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Alzarri Joseph | 4 | 40 | 1 | 10 |
| Shamar Joseph | 4 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 |
| Romario Shepherd | 4 | 39 | 2 | 9.75 |
| Roston Chase | 4 | 29 | 0 | 7.25 |
| Gudakesh Motie | 2 | 16 | 1 | 8 |
| Shamar Springer | 2 | 25 | 1 | 12.5 |
West Indies Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Brandon King | c Perera b PHKD Mendis | 63 | 33 | 190.9 | 11 | 1 |
| Evin Lewis | c Wickramasinghe b Pathirana | 50 | 28 | 178.57 | 5 | 4 |
| Shai Hope | c & b Hasaranga | 7 | 6 | 116.66 | 1 | 0 |
| Roston Chase | c BKG Mendis b Pathirana | 19 | 16 | 118.75 | 1 | 0 |
| Rovman Powell (c) | c Hasaranga b Theekshana | 13 | 18 | 72.22 | 1 | 0 |
| Sherfane Rutherford | not out | 14 | 12 | 116.66 | 1 | 0 |
| Romario Shepherd | not out | 1 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 6, w 7) | 13 | ||||
| Total | 19.1 Ov (RR: 9.39) | 180/5 |
Sri Lanka Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Chamindu Wickramasinghe | 2 | 27 | 0 | 13.5 |
| Asitha Fernando | 4 | 37 | 0 | 9.25 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 38 | 1 | 9.5 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 3.1 | 27 | 2 | 8.52 |
| Kamindu Mendis | 2 | 14 | 1 | 7 |
Man of the Match: SL vs WI 1st T20I
West Indian opener Brandon King was adjudged player of the match for his match-winning knock of 63 off 33 balls.
| Player | Team | Score |
| Brandon King | West Indies | 63 (33) |
Most Runs: SL vs WI 1st T20I
Brandon King scored the most runs in the SL vs WI T20I match in Dambulla.
| Player | Team | Score |
| Brandon King | West Indies | 63 (33) |
Most Wickets: SL vs WI 1st T20I
Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana was the most productive bowler in the 1st T20I match between SL and West Indies.
| Player | Team | Figures |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | 2/27 (3.1 overs) |
Most Sixes: SL vs WI 1st T20I
Evin Lewis struck the most number of sixes in the SL vs WI T20I match in Dambulla.
| Player | Team | Sixes |
| Evin Lewis | West Indies | 4 |
Playing XIs: SL vs WI 1st T20I
Sri Lanka Playing XI
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksha, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando
West Indies Playing XI
Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Sherafane Rutherford, Rovmann Powell (c), Shamar Springer, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie
