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So, That's the end of the game. West Indies the defending champions have been knocked out of the tournament as they go down to the spirited Sri Lanka side by 20 runs here at Abu Dhabi. The margin of victory for the Lankans thanks to the solo effort from Shimron Heymyer was 81 unbeaten but apart from Pooran, no one really gave support to Hetmyer. Top-order failing for the Windies again. 
Sri Lanka put into bat mustered 189-3 thanks to Asalanka's 68 off 41, Nissanka 51 off 41 and Perrera 29 and Shanaka cameo of 21 off 14 balls. The Windies bowlers were toothless, to say the least.

In the chase, of 190 the Windies lost wickets at regular intervals, the top order going cheaply as 3 wickets were lost early in the piece. Pooran and Hetmyer steadied things a tad, but after Pooran's dismissal, it was Pooran with the lone ranger unbeaten 81 who took Windies as close as possible but in the end, they fell 20 runs short. Without Hetmyer, they might have been 50 short tonight. 

So, West Indies are knocked out by already eliminated Sri Lanka who ends their campaign on a high with 2 wins in 5 games. West Indies have got one more game against Australia on Saturday. So, a lot to look forward to for the youngsters of Sri Lanka. Plenty to ponder and think about for West Indies. A generation change happening here. Stick around for the presentation and the Player of the Match award. 

Charith Asalanka has been adjudged the Player of the Match award for his 68 off 51 balls with the bat.

Charith Asalanka (Player of the Match ) "It's always a good thing to have a half-century and a match-winning innings for my country and I'll look to do the same in future. Before the World Cup, I didn't play a lot of T20 cricket but I asked the senior players, and I wanted to improve my game every day with their help. I've waited for 5 years and worked hard to get to the national side, and this is the time I'm getting paid back so it is time to win more matches for my country. I'd like to thank the fans in my country for supporting us through and through."

Kieron Pollard | Losing captain "I think we were below par. In a game like this, we can't afford to have this. Our bowling was ok. It was a good batting track, Sri Lanka out batted us totally, and at the end of the day that was the difference. Our batting has been a problem this tournament. We were inconsistent and today it's Hetmyer who was great along with Pooran. We were inconsistent. We have not done well in this tournament. We were bad and we accept it. Cricket has moved on, but we haven't. It's the end of the generation, we do not hide from reality. This result and performance was something we never expected, but that's the reality. Players like Bravo and Gayle are done. But loads of youngsters are licking their lips with the performance. The guys must be hurting now but we will hope to end our tournament on a high against Australia on Saturday. We will bounce back for sure soon."

Dasun Shanaka | Winning captain "Overall, very good victory. Youngsters performing well. Today Asalanka and Nissanka were the two stars. And then good with the ball. Very happy. Asalanka, Nissanka has great potential and has good cricket and long ahead of them. We have talented players with us. I think the team's going in the right direction. The fans are supporting us wholeheartedly and we thank them for it. Wanindu Hasaranga is a superstar, and he's a real prospect for world cricket not only for Sri Lankan cricket. Yes, we have to protect him and look at his workload. All in all, we are chuffed and happy to end the tournament on a high. We have had testing times and fabs have stood by us. Very happy with tonight's result." 

That's our wrap on this doubleheader Diwali day ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Group1 fixtures were in focus where we saw crushing wins for Australia and a good win for Sri Lanka over West Indies. So, in the group of Death, we are left with 3 teams. West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are out, South Africa and Australia battling it out for 2nd position with England well-placed. The action continues tomorrow in Group 2 where another doubleheader awaits us.

First up, it's New Zealand vs Namibia from Sharjah, followed by India vs Scotland from Dubai. Do join us for those two games tomorrow. But for now, time to sign off from One Cricket and Cricket Exchange's Commentary Box. So, this is me Ayan Chatterjee signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Anurag Singh, Wali Siddiqui, and our scorer Avinash Anand. Till next time, it's goodbye, goodnight. Stay safe, happy, and cool. TA-TA.  

SL won by 20 runs