The third and final ODI between Sri Lanka and West Indies commenced with West Indies captain Shai Hope electing to bowl first. The West Indies made two changes to their lineup, bringing in Evin Lewis and Matthew Forde, while Sri Lanka remained unchanged.
Matthew Forde opened the bowling for West Indies and immediately impressed, conceding only 1 run in his first over. However, Jayden Seales struggled at the other end, conceding 14 runs in his first two overs. Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando got Sri Lanka off to a solid start, scoring 24 runs in the first four overs.
Seales finally found his rhythm in the fifth over, bowling a maiden. However, Nissanka broke the shackles in the next over, hitting a boundary off Alzarri Joseph. Fernando joined the party in the seventh over, smashing a glorious four off Seales.
Forde continued to impress, bowling another maiden in the eighth over. Nissanka and Fernando kept the scoreboard ticking, adding 20 runs in the next three overs. Seales returned to the attack in the 12th over and conceded another boundary to Nissanka.
The West Indies bowlers struggled to contain the Sri Lankan openers, who reached 50 runs in the 13th over. Nissanka and Fernando continued to dominate, scoring boundaries at regular intervals. Seales finally broke the partnership in the 17th over, dismissing Nissanka for 32.
Fernando continued to play aggressively, hitting another boundary off Joseph in the 18th over. However, he was dismissed in the next over by Seales, caught by King for 24. Sri Lanka reached 80 runs in the 20th over, with Charith Asalanka and Dinesh Chandimal at the crease.
