PORT-OF-SPAIN (Trinidad), April 11: Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit a six off the last ball of the game to give the West Indies a thrilling win over Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Thursday (also reported partly in Friday’s edition).

Chasing Sri Lanka’s total of 235 for seven, the West Indies finished with their last pair of Chanderpaul and Fidel Edwards at the crease needing 10 from the last two balls and up against Sri Lanka’s top bowler Chaminda Vaas.

Chanderpaul hit the penultimate ball for a straight four and then crashed a full toss from Vaas over the mid-wicket boundary for a remarkable victory.

The West Indies captain Chris Gayle began aggressively hitting hit eight fours in his 52 before he was trapped lbw by debutant spinner Ajantha Mendis with the home side on 109 for two.

But that was the first of three wickets in seven balls – the in-form Ramnaresh Sarwan was caught behind off Nuwan Kulasekara for 35 and then the badly out-of-form Marlon Samuels went to the same bowler, for a duck, after he was trapped plumb lbw.

Bravo joined Chanderpaul and clubbed two sixes over cover in a forthright knock which put the West Indies back on track until he was run out on 36.

When wicket-keeper Patrick Browne (15) and all-rounder Darren Sammy (1) went Chanderpaul was running out of partners with the required run-rate rising.

With 17 runs needed from the last two overs, Suliemann Benn played and missed at the first four balls of Kulasekara’s over and then was run out on the fifth ball.

Chanderpaul hit a four off the last ball of that over to leave last man Edwards on strike with 13 runs needed from the final six balls.

Edwards scrambled a single off the second ball to give his partner the strike but Chanderpaul could only manage a single himself.

Another single from Edwards left Chanderpaul needing 10 to win from the last two balls and after his textbook drive for four, Vaas delivered a full toss that was despatched high over Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene at mid-wicket.

Earlier on Thursday, Sri Lanka recovered from a dismal 49 for 5 to post a respectable 235 for 7 due to fine 159-run stand for the sixth wicket between Chamara Kapugedera (95) and Chamara Silva (67).

The two teams meet again at the Oval on Saturday before concluding the series in St. Lucia on Tuesday.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA:

U. Tharanga b Bravo 10

M. Udawatte b Edwards 0

K. Sangakkara c Bravo b Taylor 23

M. Jayawardene c Chanderpaul b Bravo 1

C. Silva c Gayle b Bravo 67

T. Dilshan c Browne b Bravo 2

C. Kapugedera lbw b Edwards 95

C. Vaas not out 10

N. Kulasekera not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-16, W-10) 26

TOTAL (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 235

DID NOT BAT: A. Mendis, I. Amerasinghe

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2; 2-38, 3-40, 4-41, 5-49,

6-208, 7-234.

BOWLING: Taylor 10-1-39-1; Edwards 10-0-57-2 (8w); Bravo 10-1-33-4 (1w); Sammy 10-1-38-0 (1w); Benn 9-0-46-0; Gayle 1-0-6-0.

WEST INDIES:

C. Gayle lbw b Mendis 52

D.S. Smith lbw b Kulasekera 14

R. Sarwan c wkpr S’kara b K’kera 35

M. Samuels lbw b Kulasekera 0

S. Chanderpaul not out 62

D. Bravo run out (Jayawardene) 36

P. Browne c Mendis b Dilshan 15

D. Sammy b Mendis 1

J. Taylor c Silva b Mendis 9

F. Edwards not out 2

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-9) 10

TOTAL (for 9 wkts, 50 overs) 236

FALL OF WKTS: 1-53, 2-109, 3-109, 4-110,

5-169, 6-201, 7-203, 8-219, 9-219.

BOWLING: Vaas 10-4-30-0; Kulasekera 10-0-43-3 (1w); Amerasinghe 7-0-56-0 (2w); Mendis 10-1-39-3 (4w); Kapugedera 7-0-41-0 (2w); Dilshan 6-0-26-1.

RESULT: West Indies won by one wicket.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Dwayne Bravo (West Indies).

SERIES: West Indies lead three-match series 1-0.

UMPIRES: S. Taufel (Australia) and C. Duncan (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: G. Greaves (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: C. Broad (England).