Windies set to tour Sri Lanka for white-ball series

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, (CMC):

West Indies will clash with Sri Lanka in a white-ball series for the first time in nearly 4-1/2 years when they arrive here next month for five limited-overs matches.

The Caribbean side take on the hosts in three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals, from February 22 to March 6.

West Indies will play one-day warm-up matches in Colombo and Katunayake before the series gets under way with the opening ODI at the Singhalese Sports Club here.

The two teams will meet in the second ODI in Hambantota on February 26, with the final match carded for Kandy on March 1.

Both T20 Internationals will be also played in Kandy on March 4 and 6.

Sri Lanka dominated the last ODI series here in a 3-0 whitewash while the two-match T20 series ended in a 1-1 tie.

When the two teams last met during last year’s ICC 50-over World Cup in England, Sri Lanka came away with a 23-run victory at Chester-le-Street.

Both West Indies are Sri Lanka are closely wedded in the ICC ODI rankings. While the Asian side are eighth, West Indies languish in ninth.

The positions reflect their recent form, West Indies having won just 10 of their 28 matches last year and Sri Lanka, seven of their 21 matches during the same period.

Both teams have also fallen upon hard times in the T20 format, with Sri Lanka ranked eighth and West Indies 10th.

TOUR SCHEDULE:

n February 17 – warm-up at P Sara Oval

n February 20 – warm-up vs SLC President’s XI at CMCG, Katunayake

n February 22 – 1st ODI at Singalese Sports Club, Colombo

n February 26 – 2nd ODI at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

n March 1 – 3rd ODI at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

n March 4 – 1st T20I at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy

n Match 6 – 2nd T20I at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy