Sri Lanka Beaten at 234 for 5 (Asalanka 77, Madushka 69, Motie 3-47). West Indies 185 for 4 (Rutherford 74*, Carty 37, Chase 33*, Hasaranga 2-18) by five wickets (DLS method)

Asalanka top scored with 71 off 77 balls while Madushka finished with 69 off 54 balls. Neither were able to finish the chase, but given the precarious position they had come together in – 45 to 3 in the seventh – they had done more than enough to secure the win.

In the end, Kamindu Mendis was there for the win with an unbeaten score of 30 off 21 and alongside him was Janith Liyanage with a run-a-ball of 18.

Even though Motie went over six and above, he at least posed a threat to the wicket. That was something Roston Chase and Hayden Walsh Jr. could not boast about as they gave up 80 runs in the 10 overs between them.

While this was due to a combination of erratic bowling and reckless batting, the West Indian spinners were also hit by a wet ball due to a wet outfield. The rain also meant the pitch was easier to bat on when Sri Lanka took the wicket.

Earlier, Sherfane Rutherford's counter-attack was cut short by rain, bringing the West Indies' innings to an early end at 185 for 4 after 38.3 overs.

But despite this limitation, the way Sri Lanka approached the chase made the win worth it. Madushka, making his debut in place of the injured Pathum Nissanka, opened the innings alongside Avishka Fernando but by the time he faced his fifth delivery in ODI cricket, Sri Lanka were already two behind.

Avishka brought a long ball straight to the point, while Kusal Mendis – who had looked good with three brave boundaries – completed an attempted move. This brought Sadeera Samarawickrama to the crease and he wasted no time in seizing the initiative, hitting Jayden Seales for three boundaries in the fifth over of the chase.

With the threat of rain looming, Sri Lanka's plan was clear: stay one step ahead of the DLS equation. But when Sadeera fell, thanks to an absolute hit from Motie that knocked him back off stump, Sri Lanka were suddenly in danger of the game slipping into dangerous territory – even with the certainty of being able to bat until No.9.

But if the crowd was nervous, Sri Lanka's captain hardly showed it. On the second delivery he faced, he swept Motie for four before expertly driving him through the covers an over later. Madushka, who until then had been content to leave the batting to his more aggressive partners, finally scored his first boundary in the 10th over.

And this partnership barely took their foot off the gas as the West Indies struggled to maintain tight lines and lengths. There were only two overs without a boundary between the 10th and 20th overs as Sri Lanka scored 72 runs in this period. And from that point on the scoring only accelerated, with another 41 runs being scored between 20 and 25 overs.

Madushka eventually slipped slightly, Asalanka following shortly after caught leg before – both from Motie – but the required run rate had dropped to almost four per over by this point and any threat had long since been neutralised.

The West Indies' best spell of play had come much earlier. Before the rain intervention, they were in the process of regaining some lost momentum with Rutherford and Chase in the middle of an 85-run fifth-wicket duel in 78 deliveries.

Wanindu Hasaranga had two wickets while Jeffrey Vandersay and Asalanka had one each. But on the dry Pallekele surface, the West Indies knew a trial by spin was always possible after winning the toss and opting to bat.

Dunith Wellalage was already on the attack in the fifth over – and the medium-paced Liyanage had already resorted to offcutter on a hard length – while shortly afterwards spin was effective from both ends.

Despite a promising opening spell, it didn't take long for the West Indies to stumble to 54 for 3, with Rutherford joining Keacy Carty in the middle and the strike rate now sitting at around four for four. During this period, Sri Lanka's spinners took total control while the West Indies were content to play it safe by piling up numerous dot deliveries and picking up the odd ones and twos.

A Rutherford cut for four in the 17th over was the first West Indies boundary in 47 deliveries; By the traditional half-time mark of 25 overs they had reached 94 for 3. Here a frustrated Carty unleashed a powerful one-handed loft over long-on for six to break the bonds somewhat, but this relief was short-lived as he failed to go for a repeat on the very next delivery. This marked the end of a 46-year partnership – the West Indies' best innings to date.

But with the reliable Chase at his side, Rutherford carried on as before, picking out singles and trying to pounce on the rare loose deliveries. But as their confidence grew and a persistent drizzle lubricated the surface, the pair scored 43 in the last five overs they faced. With deaths still pending, the total was expected to be around 275. But then the rain came.