Sri Lanka and the West Indies will contest three ODIs followed by two T20Is through late February and early March. The five limited-overs fixtures will help both teams prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Our ODI series preview has the full schedule, squad news, free cricket betting tips and the latest news for this Sri Lanka vs West Indies tour. For starters, you might be interested to know that the last time these teams met for a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka was five years ago, when the hosts won three-nil.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies ODI Schedule
The Sri Lankans and West Indian national cricket teams will play three ODIs at three different venues across a busy seven days. They will then move onto two T20Is.
1st ODI: Saturday, 22 February 2020
Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
Start time: 10:00 (IST) and 4:30 (GMT)
2nd ODI: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
Start time: 14:30 (IST) and 9:00 (GMT)
3rd ODI: Sunday, 1 March 2020
Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele
Start time: 14:30 (IST) and 9:00 (GMT)
Sri Lanka vs West Indies 2020 – ODI Squads
Sri Lanka named a provisional 20-man squad for the three ODIs, which was then cut to 15. The same squad will play against the West Indies in the two T20Is that will come after the ODI series.
Batsman Danushka Gunathilaka was ruled out of both series due to a recurring back injury. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella won’t play in the first ODI due to illness, but will remain with the squad in anticipation of recovering for the rest of the series.
Batsman Oshada Fernando was sidelined by a hand injury. All-rounder Thisara Perera has not played international cricket since July 2019, but was named in the squad. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga was in the original 20, but not the final 15.
All-rounder Isuru Udana has returned to relevance in Sri Lanka cricket again, having resurrected a waning career with the title-winning Paarl Rocks in the Mzansi Super League in South Africa. He has also secured a contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League later this year.
The West Indies will be without batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis, who failed fitness tests earlier this month. Batsman Darren Bravo and Rovman Powell have been included on the back of some impressive form at domestic level.
Dual international Hayden Walsh Jr, who has played ODI cricket for the West Indies and the United States of America, is also in the squad. The team will be captained by all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who will join Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League after this series.
Left-arm spinner Fabian Allen has recovered from a knee injury and is accompanied by fellow slow bowler Roston Chase in the 15-man touring party. Fast bowler Oshane Thomas was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident and was overlooked for selection.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies ODI Squads
Sri Lanka | West Indies |
Dimuth Karunaratne (captain) | Kieron Pollard (captain) |
Lakshan Sandakan | Hayden Walsh Jr. |
Kusal Perera | Sunil Ambris |
Avishka Fernando | Darren Bravo |
Nuwan Pradeep | Roston Chase |
Lahiru Kumara | Sheldon Cottrell |
Angelo Mathews | Jason Holder |
Dhananjaya de Silva | Shai Hope |
Kusal Mendis | Alzarri Joseph |
Dasun Shanaka | Brandon King |
Thisara Perera | Keemo Paul |
Niroshan Dickwella | Fabian Allen |
Wanindu Hasaranga | Nicholas Pooran |
Isuru Udana | Rovman Powell |
Shehan Jayasuriya | Romario Shepherd |
Sri Lanka vs West Indies 2020 – ODI Series Preview, Latest Odds and Predictions
Most of the best online cricket bookies in India are pricing Sri Lanka at shorter odds than the West Indies to win this series. The Sri Lankans and West Indians are offered at 1.66 and 2.20, respectively, to win this three-ODI series.
Sri Lanka and the West Indies’ head-to-head ODI record is quite evenly matched. The former have won 26 and the latter 28, with three no results. The last time they met was at the 2019 World Cup in England, where Sri Lanka won by 23 runs.
Predicting the correct series scoreline, though, offers greater value if you get it right. Sri Lanka are offered at 4.33 to win three-nil, while the West Indies are priced at 6.50 to whitewash the hosts. See also the latest odds on a two-one win for either team.
Middle-order batsman Avishka Fernando hit a century in that World Cup match. This time, he is priced at 5.50 by bet365 to be Sri Lanka’s top batsman in this series (win only). Alternatively, captain Dimuth Karunaratne or former skipper Angelo Mathews, at 4.50 each, are decent picks for the same market as Fernando.
West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran struck a ton in that same World Cup clash. His, of course, was in vain. The one against Sri Lanka, to date, is still his only ODI century. He will almost certainly oblige odds of 5.00 to be the West Indies’ top batsman in this series if he hits another. There is good value in Darren Bravo being the tourists’ highest run-scorer as well. He hit a century in a warm-up match, familiarising himself with conditions throughout, and is priced at 4.50 in the West Indies’ (win only) top batsman market.
In the bowling markets, betting on a spinner – Wanindu Hasaranga (5.50), Roston Chase (6.50) – to be the top wicket-taker in thes low, slow, sub-continental conditions expected in Colombo and surrounds is handy.