ODI cricket: West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets

Shai Hope marked his return to West Indies duty with an assured hundred in guiding his team to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first One-Day International of a three-match series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, AFP reported.

On a day when Sri Lankan opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka became just the eighth player in more than 50 years of ODI cricket to be dismissed obstructing the field, Hope returned to his best form with an innings of 110, AFP reported.

It was his tenth century in this format of the game, to ensure that the tourists’ total of 232 all out was overhauled comfortably.

Dropped from the West Indies team following a wretched tour of England last July, Hope’s only real discomfort across 133 deliveries in which he stroked 12 fours and one six was the pace of Dushmantha Chameera, who struck the elegant batsman on the helmet when 20 runs short of three figures.

“I just had patience and trusted my ability,” said Hope after receiving the Man of the Match award.

“I made sure I negated the threat they threw at us. (Wanindu) Hasaranga was the main threat and I thought we played him well.”