On this day in 2008, former West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored 10 runs off the last two balls against Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas to win a thrilling contest between the two teams at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
Chasing a 236-run target, West Indies didn’t make optimum use of their start as a mediocre run rate and regular fall of wickets saw them struggling towards the end of the first ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of West Indies.
Chanderpaul’s match winning performance
Coming in to bat at No. 5 in the 28th over, Chanderpaul secured one end to bring down the equation to needing 13 runs off the last over with only one wicket in hand.
Having completed his 50th ODI half-century in the penultimate over of the match, the southpaw held key to victory for the hosts but it was no mean task for him.
Chanderpaul, then 33, neither lost his patience not shape as he hit Vaas down the ground for a cracking boundary to reduce the equation to needing a last-ball six to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
In his attempt to bowl a yorker, Vaas ended up bowling a full-toss which Chanderpaul hit over mid-wicket for a six to send the spectators and his teammates in frenzy.
Having scored 62* (63) with the help of five fours and a six, Chanderpaul top-scored for West Indies in a cliffhanger. Apart from him, captain Chris Gayle also contributed with his 35th ODI half-century, 52 (81).
After Gayle won the toss and invited Sri Lanka in to bat, the visiting team scored 235/7 on the back of a magnificent 159-run partnership between him Chamara Silva (67) and Chamara Kapugedera (95).
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West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was declared the ‘Man of the Match’ for following his bowling figures of 10-1-32-4 with a vital 36 (37) in the second innings.
