All-rounder Fabian Allen clobbered three sixes off the penultimate over to lead West Indies to a nervy three-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the final Twenty20 International on Sunday.
Chasing a modest target of just 132, the two-time world champions struggled in the run chase as their star trio of Chris Gayle, skipper Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo all flopped.
Allen’s three sixes came off spinner Akila Dananjaya as the 25-year-old Jamaican smashed a desperately needed 21 off just six balls faced at Coolidge Cricket Ground.
West Indies finished on 134-7, clinching the three-game series 2-1 after a four-wicket win in the first match followed by Sri Lanka’s 43-run victory in the second.
Dananjaya was again the victim of some explosive West Indies batting after Pollard hit six sixes off one of his overs in the first game on Wednesday.
“I prepare for everything, including bowling in the powerplay,” said Allen, who earlier took 1-13 opening the bowling.
“When I look in the dressing room we have a lot of batting power.
“I told (batting partner) Jason Holder that I’m not comfortable batting against (Wanindu) Hasaranga, so I told him to bat him out and I’ll be finishing. I just backed myself in the end. It was a good performance overall.”
The home side were cruising after limiting Sri Lanka to 131-4.
Openers Evin Lewis (21) and Lendl Simmons (26) gave them a solid start before Sri Lanka leg spinner Hasaranga (2-13) dismissed them both for a series haul of eight wickets.
Wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan clean-bowled Gayle for 13, completing a poor international return for the 41-year-old who made just nought and 16 in the first two games.
Gayle has now gone five years without a fifty in T20 internationals.