Despite the head start, where West Indies found themselves in a position of ace, at 52 for no loss in 3.2 overs, the game was far from over. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack made a strong comeback, with Akila Dananjaya accounting for the Windies top-three off successive deliveries put the hosts on the back foot. However, skipper Kieron Pollard, in a partnership with Jason Holder, turned the game around in the span of six deliveries, where he equalled Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh’s record of six sixes in an over. 

While that six sixes took the hosts closer to victory, it was far from a certainty when they lost two quick wickets, sending the batting unit into a mini-meltdown. However, the partnership between veteran all-rounders Jason Holder and Dwayne Bravo, who held the fort for nearly seven overs, took the Windies home. 

The Windies skipper also expressed his delight over the win, adding that it was good to start off the series with a victory, setting the tone for the rest of the games during the series. However, Pollard noted that there was a ‘lot’ of room for improvement, with the new top-order in play for the Men in Maroon. 

"It [the performance] was there and thereabouts. Most importantly, the objective of this first game was to win the game and I thought we did that. There are a couple of things to note - we haven't played T20 cricket for a while. We had a couple of guys coming back to the set up as well, so we'll take the win and have discussions about how we want to continue playing in terms of improving in different areas."