Sri Lanka have beaten West Indies by a margin thats more emphatic than the nine-wickets you'll see on the scorecard. They take top spot in the qualifying group and join New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan for the main stage of the tournament. West Indies will now be pooled with Australia, India and England.
Today's match, widely expected to be the tightest match of the qualifying round turned out to be a no-contest. The West Indian batsmen struggled to come to terms with the slow nature of the wicket and Farveez Maharoof exploited the conditions to perfection. He finished with 6 for 14, the best bowling figures in Champions Trophy history, and West Indies were bowled out for 80 in just 30.4 overs. It was never going to challenge Sri Lanka who needed just 13.2 overs to reach the target.
No prizes for guessing who the Man of the Match is, Farveez Maharoof for his matchwinning 6 for 14. However, it must be said that Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga heaped pressure on West Indies by taking early wickets before Maharoof came on to bowl.
That's it from us today. The main stage of the tournament starts tomorrow with England taking on India at Jaipur. We'll be bringing that game live to you and it starts at 2.30pm local time. Do join us then. Cheers!
Sri Lanka need a mere six more runs to win
END OF OVER:13 | 9 Runs | SL: 75/1 (6 runs required from 37 overs, RR: 5.76, RRR: 0.16)
- Sanath Jayasuriya45 (47b)
- Mahela Jayawardene26 (33b)
- Dwayne Smith3-0-29-0
- Marlon Samuels1-0-8-0
Well it appeared like the umpires decided it was time to take the dinner break but both captains wanted to finish the game off so they are staying out there. Sri Lanka need 15 to win
END OF OVER:12 | 8 Runs | SL: 66/1 (15 runs required from 38 overs, RR: 5.50, RRR: 0.39)
- Sanath Jayasuriya37 (43b)
- Mahela Jayawardene25 (31b)
- Marlon Samuels1-0-8-0
- Dwayne Smith2-0-20-0
