Watch: Kieron Pollard pulls off a blinder to dismiss Dimuth Karunaratne
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard took a spectacular catch off his own bowling to dismiss Dimuth Karunaratne in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Bringing himself into the the attack in the 20th over, Kieron Pollard deceived Karunaratne with a well-disguised slower one. With no pace to work on, the Sri Lankan batsman had to check his shot, but he could only lob it uppishly to the right side of the bowler. Pollard stretched out his right arm while still in his follow-through, parried the ball quite far to his right before diving full length to complete the blinder.
Batting first, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 232 in 49 overs. In response, West Indies reached the target in 47 overs, winning the contest by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
Kieron Pollard's stunning catch sparks Lankan collapse
Kieron Pollard's brilliant caught and bowled effort came at just the right time for the Windies as the Lankan openers got off to a solid start.
Karunaratne (52) added 105 runs with Danushka Gunathilaka (55) in 19 overs before Pollard dismissed the Lankan skipper, triggering a batting collapse.
From 105-0, the visitors were bowled out for just 232 runs in 49 overs as none of the following batters, other than debutant Ashen Bandara (50 runs off 60 balls), managed to get going.
The Windies bowlers hunted in packs and were also aided by Gunathilaka's bizarre dismissal, with the Sri Lankan batsman given out for obstructing the field.
The bizarre incident also happened during a Kieron Pollard over. Gunathilaka tapped a delivery near his feet before deflecting the ball with his back heel while retracing his steps as fielders converged to get to the ball.
The incident prompted Pollard to appeal as he felt that Gunathilaka's actions prevented him from gathering the ball. Umpire Joel Wilson referred it to the third umpire, who found the Lankan opener guilty of obstructing the field and ruled him out.